<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
<meta charset="UTF-8">
<title>A Very Foxy Fairytale by Lobstirrchwan</title>
<style type="text/css">

body { background-color: #ffffff; }
.CI {
text-align:center;
margin-top:0px;
margin-bottom:0px;
padding:0px;
}
.center   {text-align: center;}
.cover    {text-align: center;}
.full     {width: 100%; }
.quarter  {width: 25%; }
.smcap    {font-variant: small-caps;}
.u        {text-decoration: underline;}
.bold     {font-weight: bold;}
</style>
</head>
<body>
<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/25996705">A Very Foxy Fairytale</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lobstirrchwan/pseuds/Lobstirrchwan'>Lobstirrchwan</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Naruto</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Fairy Tale Elements, First Kiss, Growing Up Together, M/M, Minor Angst, Minor Character Death, Naruto is BA, Sasuke is a sweetheart, Some Swearing</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-08-19</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-09-10</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-18 02:09:18</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Graphic Depictions Of Violence</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>4</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>34,656</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/25996705</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lobstirrchwan/pseuds/Lobstirrchwan</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Sasuke is a prince. Naruto is... Sasuke’s secret; one he sneaks away to see for one week every summer. Moments in time in the lives of two boys in a twisted fairytale.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Uchiha Sasuke/Uzumaki Naruto</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>20</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>97</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. The Curse</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><ul class="associations">
      <li>For <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sayori_Echo/gifts">Sayori_Echo</a>.</li>



    </ul><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>AN- Hello and welcome back! This is actually the first Naruto fic that I ever started writing and I stopped when it inspired me to write That Time I Went Down Fighting (I don't know why, because they're nothing alike! lol) My best friend found this abandoned on my laptop and demanded that I finish it, haha... Anyway, I was really into fairytales when I wrote this and decided to jam as many into one fic as I could (sort of). My writing style has changed over the years, but I went back and tried to tweak it to flow better. Hope you enjoy!</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>"Imaginarium, a dream emporium</p>
<p>Caress the tales and</p>
<p>They will dream you real</p>
<p>A storyteller's game,</p>
<p>Lips that intoxicate</p>
<p>The core of all life is a limitless chest of tales." -Storytime by Nightwish</p>
<p>A Very Foxy Fairytale</p>
<p>1. The Curse</p>
<p>"Dadda, Dadda!" a shrill voice bounced off of the palace walls accompanied by the quick pitter-patter of small feet. The door is slammed open with a bang, causing passing servants to flinch at the loud noise. Blue eyes under a mop of golden hair scanned the room quickly before setting their attention on his target. "Dadda!" The high pitched cry of excitement rang through the large study as the boy made his way over to his father who was hunched over his desk focused on his work.</p>
<p>Minato looked over to his son, his sky blue eyes crinkling at the edges as he smiled fondly. He watched the young prince stumble over the head of the lion rug that lay between his desk and the door, inwardly sighing in relief when the child caught himself before falling. Even though the small blond boy was a kind and gentle child, he would still scream his head off like any other two year old if he hurt himself. He waited patiently for his son to make his way around the large mahogany desk before stopping next to his chair. "Hello Kurama. What can I do for you?" he questioned as he looked into the eyes that matched his own.</p>
<p>"Book, book!" Kurama grinned and held up a thick book in his chubby little hands. The child paused in his bouncing seeming to remember something before shouting, "PWEASE!"</p>
<p>'<em>Well at least he remembers his manners</em>,' Minato thought as he flexed his jaw trying to get the ringing out of his ears. He looked over to the paperwork that littered his desk, then back to his hyper toddler. He really needed to get his work done… With a smile, he held his arms out to his son, bringing the boy up to sit on his lap. Once they were both comfortable he asked, "So what are we reading?"</p>
<p>Kurama dropped the thick book on top of the desk with a 'thud' and opened it to find the story he wanted to read. Once found, he slapped his little hands on the open book, straightening the pages.</p>
<p>"<em>The Fox and the Raven?"</em> the older blond asked as he looked at the words that were partially hidden under his son's fingers. "Again?" It was one of Kurama's favorite fairy tales and Minato had read it to him many, <em>many</em> times. Both males could most likely recite it word for word without the books aid, but children had a thing about repeating something they like over, and over, and <em>over</em> again.</p>
<p>The smile that graced Kurama's face would make even the coldest of hearts melt.</p>
<p>"You are so freaking cute," the King mumbled as he snuggled his cheek into the boy's golden locks, earning a squeal of delight. He cleared his throat and began reading, his kind voice drifted through the open door of the study, allowing anyone who wandered by to share in the old tale.</p>
<hr/>
<p>A scream echoed through the castle quickly followed by loud laughter that very well could have been louder than the scream. The loud slap of wet feet running through the hall caused servants to move closer to the white sandstone walls to allow a wide path for the feet's owner to run past them. A trail of water followed the small figure as his wild laughter bounced off the walls before growing fainter as he moved farther away.</p>
<p>As soon as the laughter died down, the sound of larger feet running could be heard. The servants stayed against the wall. Some were smiling in amusement, while others were sighing because unfortunately <em>this</em> was a regular occurrence in the Uzumaki household.</p>
<p>As the heavier footsteps grew nearer, a yelp of "shit!" accompanied wet stumbling quickly followed by the 'thump' of a body hitting the wall. The servants watched as the figure of a honey-blonde woman came into view, cringes of sympathy on their faces. "Damn brat!" the woman hollered while rubbing one of her large breasts that had taken most of the impact when she hit the wall. Her eyes narrowed as she looked down at the trail of water that she had just slipped in, following its path down the deep red marble tiled hall and around a corner. "I'm getting too old for this," she mumbled before taking off after the hyper child.</p>
<p>The door to the throne room was slammed open; causing the room's occupants to look up from the papers they were discussing. "Mama!" called the same shrill voice whose laughter had been filling the castle moments ago. The boy made his way over to a woman with long red hair who sat upon the large throne overlooking the rest of the room.</p>
<p>"What in the world?" Kushina, Queen of the Wind Kingdom, looked at her son in surprise. Her eyes quickly narrowed as she took in the child's nudity and wetness. "Kurama," she warned as she rose from her seat to scoop her child into her arms. "Did you run from your bath again?"</p>
<p>Kurama bit his lip, realizing that he had been caught. "No," he denied stubbornly, "I'm all done."</p>
<p>"<em>Lies!</em>" a voice roared through the doorway, startling everyone who had returned to their work. The prince's angry pursuer stomped into the room. She pointed an accusing finger at the young blond who was gripping his mother's neck in a choke hold. "We barely started the bath when he splashed me in the face, <em>blinding me, </em>and then took off running."</p>
<p>Kushina frowned and looked down at her son, "Kurama, is that true? Did you splash Tsunade-sensei?"</p>
<p>Tears came to the blond's eyes, making their blue sparkle like gems in the firelight. He nodded slowly as his lip began to tremble.</p>
<p>Kushina's heart clenched. She took a calming breath, "What do we say when we hurt other's feelings?"</p>
<p>Kurama sniffed and turned his big moist eyes on the older blonde. "I'm sorry, Baa-chan."</p>
<p>Tsunade bristled at the name, she wasn't <em>that</em> old, and crossed her arms under her large chest. "Damn brat," she grumbled.</p>
<p>"Oh come on, Tsunade. He's only three." Kushina defended her child against the stubborn woman.</p>
<p>The older woman scoffed, "Three my ass," she ignored the looks of disapproval from the other occupants in the room, "No three year old I know can speak three languages and can read at a fourth grade reading level. He's just a brat."</p>
<p>"You must not talk about the crown prince like that!" someone scolded. He shrank away when a glare of annoyance turned his way.</p>
<p>Kushina suppressed a smile. She had been amazed when her son had started speaking French one day out of the blue, and could only credit Minato for their son's love of learning. "How many three year olds do you know?" She questioned Tsunade with a raised brow. "Would you rather have him throwing tantrums and seeing how loud he can scream for the fun of it? Would you prefer him to be so selfish that you want to strangle him? Be thankful for who he is." She wrapped her arms tighter around her naked bundle of joy and nuzzled his damp hair.</p>
<p>"I'm a doctor, dammit, not some babysitter!" Tsunade fumed. Anyone caring to look at the sulking doctor could see her anger waning. Everyone who knew Tsunade on a deeper level knew that she loved the child that she had helped deliver herself.</p>
<p>Kushina sighed at the other woman's stubbornness. "I told you, TenTen is sick so she couldn't watch him while I had these meetings," she gestured to the men conversing quietly as they waited for their leader to finish coercing the doctor to take her son back, "and you <em>know</em> how much he loves it when you watch him." She could see the blonde's tough shell cracking as she guilt tripped her. Tsunade opened her mouth to protest further, but Kushina interrupted her, "Besides, you have no patients today and the servants are all busy cleaning for the King's arrival."</p>
<p>At the mention of his father, Kurama finally spoke up, "Daddy! Daddy's coming home!" He started up a singing chant that surprisingly was in key. The King had been away for a month visiting a foreign diplomat in the Fire Kingdom. He was often away strengthening Wind's ties with their neighbors due to his likable personality.</p>
<p>Kushina grinned, feeling excitement bubbling up in her chest to match that of her son's. "Why don't you go with Tsunade-sensei and finish your bath so you're ready for Daddy's return. How does that sound, Kurama?"</p>
<p>"Yeah!" Without warning, the three year old flung himself towards the unsuspecting doctor, making his mother stumble so she wouldn't drop him.</p>
<p>"Baa-chan, Baa-chan! Let's go get baths!" Kurama said in excitement as he felt Tsunade's arms pull him from his mother's grip.</p>
<p>Tsunade sighed as the young prince wrapped his bare legs around her waist. She knew she wouldn't have anymore problems with the boy. Why hadn't she told him he had to be good for Daddy? That always worked. She turned and headed back to the doors they had entered, this time avoiding the water trail.</p>
<p>Suddenly the main doors to the throne room were thrown open and a messenger bolted into the room, running up to Kushina panting for breath. "The…the King…" he gasped as he tried to catch his breath. Kushina put a steadying hand on his shoulder, a crease coming to her brow. The man took a final large gasp into his lungs before he straightened, "There's been an accident. The King…he's been killed."</p>
<hr/>
<p>"<em>Ne</em>, Choji, can I help with dinner today?" Kurama wandered into the large kitchen and looked up at the large chef in question.</p>
<p>Choji paused in his vegetable chopping to look at the five year old prince. He smiled fondly, "Sure. How about you wash those veggies that you helped Ino pick yesterday," he gestured to the full basket that sat next to the sink.</p>
<p>Kurama grinned and rolled up his long sleeves before pulling a stool over to the sink. He quickly washed his hands before setting about cleaning the produce.</p>
<p>The two males started up a comfortable conversation as they prepared dinner. Kurama excitedly shared his adventure of helping around the castle, including collecting honey from Shino's bee hives, helping Kiba milk the cow and goats, and of course helping Ino tend the garden.</p>
<p>Choji smiled as he listened to the boy. All the servants in the castle loved the young prince who was always ready and willing to help them in their jobs whenever he wasn't spending time with his mother or studying in his father's old study. The child was kind and intelligent and everyone who had the privilege of knowing him knew that he would make a fine ruler one day.</p>
<p>"<em>Ne, ne</em>! Guess what?" Kurama suddenly exclaimed, "Mama's going to get married again." The smile on his face didn't reach his eyes, the fight between excitement and sadness clearly visible on his young visage..</p>
<p>Choji's eyes widened in surprise, "Really? Who's the lucky man?"</p>
<p>Kurama eyebrows creased as he strained to remember the man's formal title that his mother had told him. "Orochimaru, Duke of Wind and Sound."</p>
<p>Choji raised an eyebrow. "Oh? I haven't had the honor of meeting him. He came to the castle, what, a year ago?"</p>
<p>Kurama nodded and smiled, "He's really nice, and really smart, and he loves Mama, and that's what really matters. I want her to be happy." He was happy that his mother would finally have someone to comfort her, even though it hurt a little since he still had some loving memories of his father that he still missed dearly. Unfortunately, he only remembered what the man looked like from the large portrait that hung in the hall along with all the former rulers of Wind, but he had feelings of love and contentment when he thought of the man he had lost at such a young age.</p>
<p>He wouldn't throw a temper tantrum about his mother's choice to remarry. He knew she still loved his father, but something in her had died along with the late king, and he was hoping that Duke Orochimaru would help heal her heart. The dark haired man had only nice things to say when it came to Kushina and Kurama, and Kurama looked forward to forming a stronger bond with the man who would soon be his stepfather.</p>
<p>Choji smiled, proud of the boy who he had watched grow since birth. "That's what we all want. When is the wedding?"</p>
<p>"Next week," Kurama stated casually as he popped a green bean into his mouth as he finished washing them.</p>
<p>The chef's eyes widened in shock, a choked noise escaping his throat before he composed himself enough to respond, "Then we better get cooking, 'cause we have to put a menu together to celebrate the occasion."</p>
<hr/>
<p>"Baa-chan!" six year old Kurama ran into the doctor's medical room that also served as her office. Spotting the blonde woman, Kurama grabbed the sleeve of her white coat and tugged hard. "Come quickly! Mama says the baby's coming!"</p>
<p>Tsunade grabbed her medical bag and hurriedly followed the young prince into the queen's room. Seeing the queen laying prone on her large bed, covered in sweat and cringing in pain, Tsunade set to work commanding the frantic maids that were hovering around the bed to boil water and get other items that would be needed for the birth.</p>
<p>Kurama was forced to leave the room as his mother's cries of pain became louder. He sat against the wall opposite the door to stay out of the way of the rushing servants, not wanting to move farther away from the person he loved with all his heart. After waiting nervously for five hours, the prince finally slid sideways along the wall as sleep took him. It was not long after that a passing maid took up the small boy into her arms and carried him to his bed to sleep more comfortably.</p>
<hr/>
<p>"Come on, Kushina, you can do it. One more push," Tsunade urged as she gripped the slimy head of the baby.</p>
<p>Kushina let out a screaming grunt, pushing one final time before falling limp with exhaustion as the child left her body. A crackling cry was soon heard causing the once again mother to smile.</p>
<p>"Congratulations, your Highness, it's another boy," Tsunade announced as she handed the baby to a servant to clean and swaddle. She quickly pulled the placenta out of the exhausted woman, before checking her over for tears or excess bleeding. Once satisfied, she turned to wash her hands and quickly exited the room.</p>
<p>Hurrying to her private chambers, the doctor threw open her wooden chest and dug through it to find a green pendant dangling from a worn leather cord. Making sure that her door was securely locked, she took a deep breath and closed her eyes. Placing the pendant against her forehead, Tsunade focused and silently commanded, '<em>Come</em>'.</p>
<p>A strong gust of wind filled her room, followed by a loud crack as a presence appeared in the room. Tsunade lowered the pendant and opened her eyes to face the welcomed intruder. She frowned as she pushed her bangs out of her eyes before looking up at the tall white haired man.</p>
<p>Amused eyes twinkled as a large grin stretched over his tan face. "You needed me beautiful?" the man's voice was smooth, a deep octave and laced with seduction.</p>
<p>Tsunade's eyes narrowed as the man reached for her with the intent to grope her. Maybe calling him was a bad idea. "<em>Baka!</em>" she called out angrily as she swatted his hand away.</p>
<p>The man held his hand to his chest looking offended. "That's not <em>fair</em>," he pouted, "I give you such a nice compliment and you just call me a mean name. The least you could say was 'Why, hello you strong, sexy, wizard you'."</p>
<p>Tsunade rolled her eyes at the wizard, "This is serious, Jiraiya."</p>
<p>The wizard sobered at the use of his name that rarely graced the doctor's lips. "What's happened?"</p>
<p>"Kushina just gave birth. It's a boy. A new prince has been born." Tsunade stated gravely.</p>
<p>Jiraiya frowned. "Does Prince(1) Orochimaru know?"</p>
<p>Tsunade sighed as she sat on the edge of her bed and rubbed her temples in exhaustion. "By now? Most likely. Though whether he found out now or later, it wouldn't make a difference." She turned tired eyes to the man standing stiffly in front of her, "Can you watch Kurama for me? For <em>everyone</em>?"</p>
<p>Jiraiya nodded as he sat beside the doctor. He really wished that Minato was still alive. "If you don't mind, I'll give him the pendant so I can always keep track of him and go to him whenever I need to."</p>
<p>Tsunade wordlessly handed him the necklace that was still dangling loosely in her grip.</p>
<hr/>
<p>"My lord?"</p>
<p>Prince Consort Orochimaru looked up from his three week old son to see a servant practically stumble into the nursery. He scowled, "What is it?"</p>
<p>"Th-the Queen," the servant's voice cut off as his throat closed in grief, "she's dead."</p>
<p>Orochimaru calmly turned and laid his small babe in his bassinet. "I see… Tell no one. I will be the one to share this terrible news. Look after Kabuto for me while I say goodbye to my wife," he ordered as he left the room.</p>
<p>The dark haired man made his way through the castle, searching. He knew that at this time of day the bedrooms would be empty. He peeked into the empty study, the playroom, the dojo, and ended at the kitchen. Seeing it devoid of his target, Orochimaru headed outside to the gardens making sure no one saw him leave.</p>
<p>He silently made his way deeper into the garden, paying no mind to the colorful flowers or luscious vegetable and herb beds. He fast paced steps followed the small pathway under the arch covered in grapevines, and into the orchard that stretched all the way back to the property's surrounding wall that made up the lusher part of the desert kingdom's small oasis. His steps momentarily faltered when he heard gentle humming coming through the trees off to his right, and quickly adjusted his course.</p>
<p>Orochimaru spotted a tuft of golden hair that belonged to a young boy sitting at the base of large peach tree. The blond was happily humming as he pet a cat that sat on his lap, a small smile gracing his lips as he looked down at the small creature that was covering half of his legs.</p>
<p>"Kurama," Orochimaru called out as he approached.</p>
<p>Kurama looked up, his bright blue eyes wide in surprise, "Oh! Lord Orochimaru, I didn't hear you come." Kurama smiled fondly at the man who had made his mother happy over the last year. He had never been allowed to call the man 'Father' (Orochimaru preferred the use of his title), but he had grown closer to the man in their time together. "What can I do for you?"</p>
<p>Orochimaru stared down at the glowing youth. "Stand up, boy," he ordered a little sternly.</p>
<p>Kurama complied, gently moving the cat off his lap before rising and dusting his pants off. He looked up at the tall man, his head only reaching the man's waist.</p>
<p>"Your mother is dead," Orochimaru stated. He watched as Kurama's face turned to confusion before draining of color as dread set in. He grabbed the boy's arm as he made to run to the castle to see if this news was a lie. "There's more," Orochimaru yanked on the thin arm, gaining Kurama's attention once again. "You will not be king."</p>
<p>"Huh?" Kurama's eyebrows wrinkled in confusion. He didn't know what Orochimaru was talking about; all he cared about was finding his mother. Nothing else mattered, just her. Before he could say anything else, Orochimaru placed his pointer finger against Kurama's forehead and mumbled something that Kurama didn't understand.</p>
<p>Orochimaru watched as his magic flowed into the small prince. A slow smile spread over his face as Kurama suddenly started screaming in pain as he dropped to the ground. He watched as Kurama clutched at his head as his ears shifted to form points. The man silently took in how Kurama's canines elongated and sharpened even more.</p>
<p>Kurama hugged himself as his nails grew faster than humanly possible and formed into short claws which left long scratches along his upper arms as his fingers curled. He arched his back, his scream intensifying, as a searing pain grew at the base of his spine.</p>
<p>Orochimaru's smile grew as nine orange tails sprouted out of the prince's tailbone. His golden eyes met Kurama's pleading blue eyes as the blond looked up to him in the hope that he would take away the pain. Black pupils shuddered for a moment before elongating as red bled into the blue. The pain subsided, causing Kurama to take one final gasp before falling unconscious at Orochimaru's feet.</p>
<p>Orochimaru looked down at the sleeping child. He tilted his head a little to the side as he took in the boy's new features. "Hm," he contemplated, "You still look like you when you're asleep." Kneeling next to the boy, the dark king produced a small twisted dagger from his sleeve and applied it to a chubby tan cheek. He slowly dragged the blade through the soft skin, leaving three thin gashes on each cheek so they looked like bleeding whiskers. Satisfied, Orochimaru stood up again. "Now you're appearance matches your name, little demon," he smirked.</p>
<p>Pulling a thin whistle from under the collar of his loose shirt, Orochimaru blew it and waited. A moment later, a figure dressed all in black stepped out from behind a nearby apple tree. The figure dropped to one knee, placing one fist on the ground, "My Lord?" A low voice asked, slightly muffled through the thin mask covering his face.</p>
<p>Orochimaru looked down at the captain of his personal guard. He gestured to the small limp form at his feet, "This monster is trespassing onto royal grounds. Take it far into the desert and execute it, leave the body where it won't be noticed."</p>
<p>It's true that Orochimaru hadn't needed to use some of his dark magic to change the prince into a demon since he was planning on having him killed anyway, but he had so enjoyed seeing the boy writhe in pain. The brat had always annoyed him; he had just seemed too <em>good </em>for Orochimaru's liking. But now he wouldn't have to deal with him anymore, and if anyone happened to find his body in the future then there would be no connection to the missing prince.</p>
<p>The guard silently picked up the small, bloody bundle and threw it over his shoulder, quickly moving through the trees and out the hidden door in the back wall.</p>
<p>Orochimaru smirked and quickly made his way back into the castle.</p>
<hr/>
<p>"Tsunade-sensei!" a servant crashed through the open doorway into the medical room, startling the doctor who was quietly discussing something with Jiraiya. "Come quick!" the servant cried, "It's the Queen, she's dead!"</p>
<p>Tsunade's heart stopped. Her eyes snapped to Jiraiya who had his eyes closed in concentration. His dark eyes snapped open and looked at her, "He's left the castle grounds," he announced.</p>
<p>"Go!" Tsunade ordered as he grabbed her medical bag. She exited the room as a crack filled the air accompanied by a mini whirlwind as Jiraiya disappeared.</p>
<p>The doctor ran to Kushina's room, hoping that what the servant said was false, but deep down knowing it wasn't. Kurama was already gone. She just hoped that Jiraiya wasn't tracking a dead body. She approached the Queen's private chambers and burst through the doors. She was met with Orochimaru kneeling next to Kushina's pale and unmoving body, clenching her limp hand in his.</p>
<p>Orochimaru turned his tear streaked face towards the doctor, looking all the part of a grieving husband. "Tsunade," he choked out, his raspy voice scratchier than normal, "I don't know what to do." He was proud of himself for sounding so helpless.</p>
<p>Tsunade frowned at the crying man; she was a little confused to see him here. She had honestly expected him to be with Kurama, but his presence proved that he couldn't be responsible for anything that may have happened to the boy. She pushed the thought of the young prince away as she rushed to the bed to check Kushina's vitals. The Queen's skin was cold and an unhealthy pale grey, she wasn't breathing and Tsunade couldn't find a pulse. Tsunade checked her mouth, eyes, and skin to see if there was any sign of poison. Finding none, she had no choice but to say that there was no foul play in the Queen's death.</p>
<hr/>
<p>Jiraiya popped back into time and space to land gently between two tall dunes, whose height did little to block the hot sweltering sun beating down on the scorching sand. His sudden appearance caused the dark guard to freeze in his steps. Jiraiya didn't recognize the man (though it would have been hard to since most of his face was covered), but he did notice the dark sack slung over the man's shoulder. Since he had followed the aura of the pendant and he didn't see his young charge anywhere, than there was only one thing that could be in the bag. "Give me the bag," he ordered.</p>
<p>The guard bit his lip. He knew who this man was. Jiraiya the wizard had a reputation for not only being a woman lecher, but also a very powerful mage. He had to wonder how much he wanted to be killed or turned into some creature by this man. His job was to kill the thing in the sack and dispose of the body, so what harm would come from giving it to the wizard? What could the man possibly want with some beat up demon, and was keeping it from him worth risking his life over? Decision made, he dropped the sack with a 'thump' and took a step back.</p>
<p>"<em>Freeze</em>," Jiraiya stated and suddenly the man was rooted to the ground unable to move a muscle. The wizard slowly approached the sack, his heart rate picking up as he started to dread what he would find. Opening the bag revealed golden locks, the shade of which could only be passed down from Namikaze Minato.</p>
<p>"Dammit," Jiraiya breathed out in anguish in anguish as he reached into the bag and grabbed under Kurama's arms to pull him out. "What the hell?" he frowned as he caught sight of the nine orange tails coming out of the back of torn bloody pants. He turned the boy's face towards him to make sure that who he was holding was actually the prince and not some monster. What he found was a blood covered face. '<em>Kami</em>,' he thought with a wince.</p>
<p>Turning the unrecognizable boy over, he pulled up the back of his shirt to reveal a birthmark that resembled a fox's head on the left side of the boy's lower back. The birthmark had been the reason behind the prince's name and had been cataloged in the archives along with all other royal birthmarks throughout history. There was no mistaking this creature's identity as Uzumaki Kurama.</p>
<p>The wizard's lips pursed as he stared at the birthmark and then let his eyes travel along the small boy's crumpled form. His heart aches for him. Releasing a breath, Jiraiya gently placed Kurama on his back on the black sack, not wanting the hot sand to burn his delicate flesh, and hovered his hands over the boy's small chest. He was glad to see Kurama's chest rise and fall gently in sleep as his hands began to glow. The wizard mumbled his spell as he watched his magic flow into the unconscious prince. He frowned when nothing happened. He tried another spell…still nothing. '<em>This is one hell of a dark spell</em>,' he thought grimly.</p>
<p>Coming to a decision, Jiraiya quickly stood and faced the still frozen guard. He put his hand over the man's eyes and cast a spell, "You never saw me. You killed the boy and dumped the body for the vultures and the winds to cover. Go now."</p>
<p>Free to move, the man turned in a daze and made his way back to the castle to tell his lord that the task was complete.</p>
<p>Jiraiya gently scooped Kurama up into his arms and disappeared in a swirl of sand and leaves.</p>
<hr/>
<p>Jiraiya came back into being in the middle of a thickly wooded grove on the eastern border of Wind Kingdom, hundreds of miles away from Kurama's home. "IRUKA!" he shouted into the trees. He waited impatiently for a few minutes, but received no answer. He scowled and yelled again, "Don't make me set this whole damn forest on fire!"</p>
<p>"Keh, you're not a fire mage," came a tiny voice close to his ear.</p>
<p>Jiraiya turned and squinted at the tiny ball of blue glowing light that was hovering at eye level. As his eyes adjusted to the glow, the figure of a little man with wings became visible. The wizard frowned, "Raidou, where the hell is Iruka," he asked the fairy.</p>
<p>Raidou scratched his scarred cheek seeming thoroughly annoyed that he had to converse with the wizard. "Around," he stated as he crossed his arms over his chest.</p>
<p>Jiraiya took a deep breath before yelling, "IRUKA!" He felt smug satisfaction as the tiny fairy before him clasped his hands over his ears in pain.</p>
<p>Raidou uncovered his ears and glared at the giant of a man. "Dammit you stupid toad! Why I outta-!"</p>
<p>"I'm here!" A gentle voice cut off the blue fairies rant. Both males turned to see a blur of green light shoot through the trees towards them. The light stopped next to Raidou and hunched over in midair to catch his breath. "Sorry," Iruka panted, "I was- bandaging a squirrel's- injured paw when I heard you calling." He looked into the older man's face once he caught his breath, "What can I do for you, Wizard-sama?" The bundle in Jiraiya's arms caught his attention and he quickly flew to brush his hands through the child's golden hair. "Who and what is this? Poor thing. What happened? Wha-?"</p>
<p>"That's why I'm here," Jiraiya quickly cut off the green fairy's frantic rumbling.</p>
<p>"What does that thing have to do with us?" Raidou questioned as he cautiously approached the unconscious creature.</p>
<p>Jiraiya sighed and lifted Kurama's shirt to expose his birthmark.</p>
<p>"Kurama!" Iruka exclaimed, "But, how? What happened?"</p>
<p>Jiraiya shifted the child in his arms as he lowered the shirt back into place. "Orochimaru's work I assume. Kushina has died and this is the result."</p>
<p>Iruka's eyes filled with tears. He had been friends with both of Kurama's parents and had even blessed the child soon after his birth. Not many humans knew of the fairies existence, but the Uzumaki clan had had a close relationship with them for centuries and knew they would keep the fairies secret from those outside the royal family. He pushed his face into the soft hair under his fingers.</p>
<p>Jiraiya continued, "I tried to cancel the curse, but it's no use. I need him to stay here with you until I figure out how to break it."</p>
<p>Raidou lifted an eyebrow as he gently pet one of Kurama's many tails. "Why here? He has the birthmark, so why not just take him back home?"</p>
<p>"And have Orochimaru declare him a demon that needed to be killed before I could convince everyone otherwise? Besides, what's to stop Orochimaru from trying to kill him again even if people do recognize him as who he is? Kurama's still just a child and can't properly defend himself. Therefore, I'm asking that <em>you</em>," he looked pointedly to Iruka, "raise him in the safety of the Enchanted Forest. No human dares venture into these woods, so it's a perfect place to keep him safe."</p>
<p>A look of determination came over Iruka's face, "Of course I'll do it."</p>
<p>Jiraiya nodded and opened his mouth to continue their conversation when he suddenly felt a pin prick in the side of his neck. He winced and shifted Kurama into one arm to pull the small object out of his neck. He frowned when he noticed it looked like a really tiny toothpick. "Oh lord, not now," he grumbled as he looked around for the source of his mild injury. His gaze landed on a ball of glowing red light that lay on a nearby tree branch.</p>
<p>"I know you're not thinking about leaving me out of this," the red fairy stated casually as he placed a new toothpick between his teeth.</p>
<p>"No," Jiraiya deadpanned. "There is no way in hell I'm letting <em>you</em> influence this kind boy in any way."</p>
<p>"Oh come on, let him help," Iruka defended his friend. "I will need as much help as I can get and Genma is good with children." He received a skeptically raised brow from the wizard and shrugged, "Probably. Besides, Raidou can help rein him in when needed."</p>
<p>Genma smiled in triumph as Jiraiya sighed in defeat and Raidou sputtered in protest.</p>
<p>"We'll have to use magic to make ourselves big enough to take care of him," Raidou pointed out sounding very annoyed that he had been pulled into this ridiculous situation. "Besides, won't it be weird having three full grown men raising a little boy in the middle of the forest?"</p>
<p>"Don't forget that the little boy is now part…fox?" Genma piped up helpfully. He eyed the nine limp tails that were tucked between the prince's backend and the wizard's arm. He shrugged, "I don't know."</p>
<p>"No, it will be fine," Iruka stated confidently, "right?"</p>
<p>"Right!" Genma cheered, "Completely normal."</p>
<p>"Are you two fucking insane?" Raidou once again protested. "How is that-?"</p>
<p>"We'll take him!" Genma and Iruka cut him off.</p>
<p>Raidou sighed, "Whatever."</p>
<p>"Fine, whatever," Jiraiya grumbled. "So, do you know of an old hunting cabin or something where you can raise him?"</p>
<p>Iruka shook his head in the negative, Genma laughed, and Raidou scoffed. Jiraiya could have sworn he heard a mumbled "moron" come out of the tiny man's mouth.</p>
<p>Jiraiya pinched between his brows, '<em>Right, enchanted forest where no one dares to enter. Stupid question.' </em>He looked around and spotted an acorn on the ground. Gently setting the still bloody blond on the ground, he grabbed the brown nut off the ground and moved to the edge of a small clearing a few feet away.</p>
<p>The wizard closed his eyes, holding the acorn in his open palm he said a quick incantation and blew onto the nut. Releasing the acorn from his palms, it dropped to the soft earth like a stone and lodged itself into the ground at his feet. Keeping his eyes closed, Jiraiya started a new longer spell as his hands began to form quick symbols as they lit with a pale glow of magic. Finishing the incantation, he crouched down and laid his palms on the ground on either side of the acorn.</p>
<p>Light spread along the ground as the acorn sunk deeper into the ground until it disappeared completely into the soil. The ground rumbled and steadily rose to form a small hill. Jiraiya's brows creased in concentration as the hill hollowed out and became stable as tree roots pushed up to form walls within the cavern. A simple floor plan formed as parts of the hill crumbled into a door and windows, along with a chimney on the top. Satisfied with his work, Jiraiya opened his eyes and stood, brushing off his hands on his green robes.</p>
<p>He scooped Kurama's limp body off the ground and entered the new dwelling.</p>
<p>"What, no furniture?" Genma asked as he flew around the mostly underground house.</p>
<p>Jiraiya scoffed, "Brat, at least I gave you running water," he motioned over to a polished stone sink that had a water pump over it. "Get someone to go into town to get what else you need. I don't have much magic left to spare." He walked through an open doorway into a small room and set Kurama down on a low mossy bed that he had made.</p>
<p>He rested his large palm on Kurama's small forehead, frowning as the heat of a fever seeped into his hand. He wasn't too worried about the boy's injuries or fever since Iruka would be here to look after him. Iruka was the most skilled fairy in healing that he knew, the kindest too, which was why Jiraiya had brought the prince to him.</p>
<p>He took a deep breath as he looked down at the child that he wasn't able to protect. "Sorry kid," closing his eyes again he started a new incantation, this one low and sorrowful, taking all of his concentration. Once done he stood up again.</p>
<p>"What did you do?" Raidou asked as he landed on a built in shelf on the wall.</p>
<p>"I took his memories," Jiraiya grumbled, "He won't remember who he is or where he's from. But he'll maintain his personality and interests, the skills he's learned over the years. It's better that he doesn't remember everything that's happened for now." He paused as he looked at the boy's blood covered face and then down to the necklace hidden under his shirt. "He's wearing a pendant that lets me track him," he told the fairies, "make sure he never takes it off."</p>
<p>"What should we call him?" Genma asked as he landed on atop the pile of tails lying limply around the prince's legs. He took a moment to feel their plushness with his bare feet, before grinning in satisfaction and flopping down comfortably on his back.</p>
<p>Jiraiya shrugged.</p>
<p>"Naruto," Iruka stated as he looked at a swirl pattern that had formed in the wall above the prince's head. "We'll call him Naruto."</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. A Chance Encounter</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Naruto meets a new friend.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>A.N.- Welcome back! I hope everyone liked the first chapter, thank you for all the positive feedback! This chapter is much different than the first and like the first consists of moments in time. Let us welcome adorable little Sasuke! Special thanks to Sayori_Echo (aka TreeStarr) for betaing this for me!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p><strong>I drew this last week for this chapter!!</strong>  https://www.deviantart.com/lobstirrchwan/art/Baby-fox-853261943?ga_submit_new=10%3A1598480991</p>
<hr/>
<p>"And after all we never played by the rules</p>
<p>We broke the mold and found our own kind of cool</p>
<p>It didn't matter that we weren't on the list</p>
<p>'Cause we were misfits, we were misfits." -Misfits by Shinedown</p>
<p>A Very Foxy Fairytale</p>
<p>2. A Chance Encounter</p>
<p>Nine year old Uchiha Sasuke slowly crept silently along the forest floor holding his bow and arrow at the ready. The thick ferns covering the soft dirt brushed against his dark pant legs as he walked. His nearly black eyes peered through the dimly lit forest. The foliage was thick in this part of the forest, blocking out a good amount of the bright sunlight that settled over the rest of the land.</p>
<p>The young raven haired boy was on the hunt. For what, he didn't know, but he was sure that he would be able to find a suitable pray in these 'enchanted woods'. Sasuke scoffed to himself. What was so 'enchanted' about this forest anyway? It looked like a normal forest to him. Sure, he hadn't actually ventured very far from the edge of the dense woods that met with the Fire Kingdom, but he couldn't see his surroundings getting any more 'enchanted' as he moved farther.</p>
<p>Nevertheless, Uchiha Sasuke was the prince of the Land of Fire, second in line for the throne behind his older brother Itachi, and the nine year old was determined to prove his worth to his father. What better way than to sneak out of the village they were visiting and venture across the border into a forest that was known for scaring off seasoned hunters.</p>
<p>Sasuke was sure that his father would forgive him for illegally crossing the border into the Wind Kingdom if he brought him back a grand prize, like the head of a unicorn or something. Those mythical creatures were said to live in this forest, right? Sasuke didn't believe in such silly fairy tales, but you never know.</p>
<p>Besides, for all he knew he may not technically be in Wind territory anyway. The Enchanted Forest lay in between Fire's western border and Wind's eastern border, a sprawling wooded land that stretched north to south for miles. Once people had tried to colonize it, strip it down and turn it into what would have been the Rivers Kingdom, but that idea had been quickly abandoned once everyone realized the dangers of the forest. It didn't <em>want </em>to be cut down. Now the Enchanted Forest lay mainly as an unclaimed territory, however everyone knew that the Wind Kingdom had special ties to it, so for all intents and purposes it was seen as their problem. But Sasuke didn't really care about technicalities. He was a prince and therefore he could do whatever he pleased.</p>
<p>A slight rustling came from the trees above him and Sasuke whipped his arms up so his arrow pointed towards the noise. He let out an annoyed sigh when he saw a squirrel scamper along a branch and disappear among the thick leaves. He returned his gaze back to the trees before him and continued deeper into the woods, making sure he went in a straight line so he wouldn't get lost.</p>
<p>An hour later, the young prince heard a growl. He spun around to come face to face with a black wolf. This wasn't an ordinary wolf, however, Sasuke had seen stuffed wolves on his journey throughout his kingdom over the past month as he and his family visited towns and villages to strengthen loyalties within the land. No, this was a giant wolf the size of a small horse. Its shoulders easily reached four feet high.</p>
<p>The sheer size of the beast caused Sasuke's confidence to waver for a moment and he took a half step back. Taking a deep breath to steady himself, Sasuke planted his feet and drew his bow, aiming at the wolf's head. A deep warning growl rumbled through the black monster's chest as it took a step towards its prey.</p>
<p>Sasuke's heart stopped when another growl joined the first, then another, then another. He glanced around to find that the wolf had brought its pack with it and they were slowly creeping around to trap him.</p>
<p>"Shit," Sasuke breathed out quietly. He knew he wasn't allowed to say that word, but felt the situation called for it because it was clear: he was in trouble. Making a quick decision, the raven bolted to the left where the wolves had yet to close in and ran as fast as he could. His only hope was to find a tree that he could climb and wait out the wolves' patience. That is to say if he didn't get caught and mauled before making it to a tree with low enough branches that would lead to his safety.</p>
<p>As he ran, he heard the wolves' howls echoing through the forest. He glanced behind him to see how close the beasts were, hoping that his small size would allow him better agility through the thick growth. At that moment of distraction, Sasuke's foot caught on an upraised root and he fell hard.</p>
<p>Sasuke rolled onto his side so he could see the wolves as they came into view. Panic settled over his brain as he looked for his bow that he had dropped in his fall, but the foliage was so thick it hid his only weapon. He tried to scramble to his feet, his hands clawing at the moist dirt as his shoes slipped along the soft earth as they tried to find friction. At that moment, Uchiha Sasuke, nine year old and prince of the Fire Kingdom, knew he was going to die.</p>
<p>His breath caught in his throat as the wolves ground to a halt in front of him, and then slowly made their way towards him. He could tell that the pack leader was about to lunge at him and sink its fangs into his throat. Sasuke brought his hands up in front of him to try to ward the beast off when suddenly another growl followed by a loud yell rang out of the tree above their heads before a figure dropped out of the branches to land between the fallen boy and the pack of wild hunters.</p>
<p>All Sasuke could see was orange. A pile of long orange tails swishing wildly through the air as the creature before him crouched and began growling and barking at the wolves. Sasuke's eyes widened when the lead wolf started responding with a series of growls, barks, and yips. The unknown creature was communicating with the giant beasts.</p>
<p>Sasuke didn't know if this multi-tailed thing was here to save him or steal the wolves' kill, but he wasn't about to stick around and find out. He shot to his feet in preparation to run away. Unfortunately, this move snapped the wolves out of their conversation and they moved to attack.</p>
<p>Sasuke watched in horror as the tailed beast lunged at the alpha wolf. He saw thin, human like arms swing towards the wolf's face to rake sharp claws along its snout. The pained cry of the alpha caused the rest of the pack to turn their focus away from Sasuke and to the creature that had injured their leader. The creature jumped, propelling itself off of a tree to land amongst the angry pack. Sasuke saw a mop of golden hair atop the things head before it was lost from sight within the pile of fur covered bodies.</p>
<p>Sasuke took a step back away from the rolling fighting beasts, then another, then another. His steps faltered when the multi-tailed creature flew out of the pack and smacked loudly against a tree to Sasuke's right. The thing crumpled to the ground with a pained groan. That was when Sasuke got a full view of the creature that may or may not be his savior. It was a boy. A boy that didn't look older than he was; but, with claws and fangs and of course those orange tails he was anything but human. The boy's clothes were tattered and smeared with blood. But, what really drew Sasuke's attention was when the boy looked up through his thick blond locks to reveal deep red eyes which burned with a fire greater than anything the Uchiha had ever seen before.</p>
<p>Another growl rumbled out of the blond boy's chest as he shakily pushed himself to his feet. He snapped his jaws threateningly as he once again advanced on the injured wolves. At his full height, Sasuke could see that he stood only a few inches taller than the wolves' shoulders. Sasuke watched as the alpha seemed to hesitate, before it abruptly turned and disappeared into the foliage along with its pack.</p>
<p>Sasuke turned his gaze to the boy in front of him. The boy slowly turned towards him and gave a shaky smile before his eyes rolled back in his head and he crumpled to the ground unconscious.</p>
<p>Sasuke stared at the boy for a moment, trying to decide on whether he should head back to the village or not. He glanced around the forest and realized he had no clue where he was. "Great," he grumbled to himself. He brought a hand up to rub it over his face, but stopped when realized it was covered in dirt. He frowned and rubbed his hand on his pants noticing they too were soiled with dirt and leaves. "Some prince I am," the young Uchiha scoffed, he was sure that he looked like some country boy who didn't know how to bathe. He was thankful that he had decided to wear casual cotton clothing on this outing and not his usual cashmere and silks.</p>
<p>Realizing he was talking out loud to himself Sasuke shook his head in annoyance, a scowl forming on his thin lips. His gaze went back to the unconscious boy on the ground. '<em>Maybe he can show me the way home,' </em>he mused<em>, 'I don't have a weapon anymore, so maybe he can protect me…</em>' The thought of needing protection did not sit well with the proud Uchiha and his scowl deepened. '<em>He probably won't be of much use now though</em>,' he contemplated the boy's injuries. With a sigh, Sasuke slung his quiver off of his back to see that it was empty. The arrows must have fallen out when he fell. He growled in annoyance and popped open the little flap on the side of the quiver. Opening the small pocket, Sasuke pulled out a roll of bandage and cautiously approached the tailed boy.</p>
<hr/>
<p>Naruto groaned as he regained consciousness. His head was killing him. What had he been doing before he fell asleep? Oh right, he had been following that strange boy with the dark hair and pale skin as he loudly stomped through the forest.</p>
<p>
  <em>He had smelled the boy when he had been lounging high up in a tree, enjoying the sunlight that was shining on that particular branch. He hadn't smelt anything like that human (for that's what Naruto knew him to be, since he had read about them in the many books he had collected over the years) before, and the scent had intrigued him enough to investigate.</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>Naruto almost had a heart attack when he thought the boy had seen him hiding in the trees, but the boy had simply turned away and continued on his way with that flimsy bow. The boy's blindness had allowed Naruto to get a good look at his face, however, and Naruto was stunned by the darkness of his eyes. They seemed black in the light of the forest and Naruto thought for a moment that he was some kind of demon, like a vampire. But then he remembered that Iruka had told him that creatures such as those didn't exist and that as a fairy he knew such things to be fact.</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>So Naruto looked away from the dark eyes to take in the other pale features. A straight nose, thin lips pulled tight as he searched the trees for danger, and…did all humans have rounded ears? His books had never talked about ear shapes. He had only seen his and the fairies pointed ears and of course various furred animals ears, but nothing that looked like these. They were kinda weird.</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>Realizing that he was getting off track, Naruto shook his head and looked at the human's pitch black hair framing his face. It was really pretty. In fact, everything about this person was pretty. Naruto wondered if maybe this was a human female. They were always described as 'pretty' or 'beautiful' in his books and this human was most definitely that (at least in Naruto's humble opinion). But, this human was wearing pants…so it had to be a boy.</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>With the human's gender determined, Naruto silently followed him through the trees to see why this boy had ventured into his forest.</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>Naruto's breath hitched when he saw the alpha stalk the raven haired boy, but he was impressed by the look of courage and determination that crossed the boy's face when he raised his weapon against it. Naruto couldn't blame the boy for running once the rest of the pack showed up.</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>Raidou had taught Naruto that there was a 'way of the jungle' amongst the creatures of the world and that he shouldn't interfere with hunters who have found their prey, but Naruto couldn't just let this human boy die. So he followed him, and when it was obvious the boy wouldn't escape, Naruto made a quick decision and attacked.</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>Naruto had of course tried to talk some sense into the alpha, but he was stubborn and wouldn't back down. Naruto used his knowledge in fighting that the fairies had insisted on teaching him for as long as he could remember and he had come out victorious. He must have passed out after making sure the human boy was safe.</em>
</p>
<p>Naruto groggily opened his eyes to stare up at a red sky through the tree's foliage. Had he really been unconscious for most of the day? How could it already be near sunset?</p>
<p>A sound off to his left caused Naruto's ears to twitch and he inhaled deeply to pick up the scent of the human boy. A small smile came to his lips, '<em>So, he didn't run after all</em>,' and he turned his head to look at the human he had saved.</p>
<p>The boy was sitting, leaning against a thick tree trunk staring out into the darkening woods with narrowed eyes. Naruto slowly rolled onto his side to face the boy and cleared his throat so he didn't startle him. "<em>Are you alright?" </em>he asked once the boy looked over to him.</p>
<p>Naruto frowned when the boy raised an eyebrow, looking confused. '<em>Oh right, duh, human's don't speak fairy,</em>' the blond mentally smacked himself upside the head. He thought of the last book he read, "<em>Daijōbudesu ka</em><em>?" </em>he tried again.</p>
<p>The look of confusion stayed on the human's face. Naruto sighed and shifted into sitting position. He didn't miss the way the human's muscles stiffened as he moved. He hoped the boy wasn't afraid of him. "<em>Es-tu blessé?</em>" He tried again.</p>
<p>The human narrowed his eyes and glanced around the forest as if he were looking for something that would help him understand the blond, or fight him if need be.</p>
<p>Naruto ran a hand through his hair, wincing when he was met with a tangled mess that got caught on his fingers. He thought for a moment, biting his lip as he contemplated the human across from him. Then it clicked, "<em>Tsk, idiot</em>," he cursed himself in fairy tongue. He cleared his throat, "Are you alright?" he asked in the language he had known before learning the magic languages from Genma.</p>
<p>The raven's eyes widened in understanding and he nodded. "You're not hurt?" Naruto clarified just to make sure.</p>
<p>The human shook his head in the negative. Naruto smiled and sighed in relief.</p>
<p>"Are you going to eat me?" the human asked, his eyes narrowing in suspicion and doing a fine job at hiding any fear he may be feeling.</p>
<p>Naruto's eyes widened in surprise and then he burst out laughing. "Why would I do that?" he wheezed between giggles. "I just saved you from those wolves, so why would I kill you now?"</p>
<p>The human glared at Naruto, but it was clear that he was relieved as a pent up breath left his lungs. "Maybe you wanted their kill for yourself," he accused.</p>
<p>Naruto gained control over his giggles and looked seriously at the other boy so he would know he was telling the truth, "I'm not going to hurt you," he said slowly. He smiled brightly when the raven nodded in understanding and seemed to relax a little. "What's your name?" Naruto questioned excitedly. He hadn't met a human before and he loved making new friends.</p>
<p>The human hesitated a moment before straightening up and stating proudly, "Uchiha Sasuke."</p>
<p>'<em>Uchiha?'</em> Naruto wondered, '<em>I know that name</em>.' Had he read it in a book or maybe one of his animal friends had learned it from the village? No, the creatures of this forest didn't care about human names and he couldn't think of why this boy's name would be in a book. Shrugging, Naruto pushed the thought aside. He moved his legs so the soles of his feet were touching and he rested his elbows on his inner thighs as he grabbed onto his feet with both hands so he could rock back and forth gently. "I'm Naruto," he stated happily.</p>
<p>Sasuke took in the blond's bubbly personality and raised an eyebrow in disbelief, '<em>is he for real?</em>' No creature that could look that fearsome could be so nice; though the boy's features seemed to soften when his large smile puffed out his chubby baby cheeks. It was too dark to see now, but Sasuke had noticed thin whisker marks on the boy's cheeks when he had been unconscious and Sasuke couldn't help but wonder if they were scars or birthmarks. If they <em>were</em> scars then someone must have been playing a cruel joke on this...Naruto.</p>
<p>"What are you?" Sasuke bluntly asked.</p>
<p>"I'm a boy," Naruto stated with a slight frown.</p>
<p>Sasuke rolled his eyes, "No, <em>what</em> are you?" he asked again, "You're clearly not human. Are you some sort of demon?" To the Uchiha's annoyance, Naruto just shrugged and continued rocking.</p>
<p>"What were you doing wandering around the forest in the first place?" Naruto questioned. "It's dangerous."</p>
<p>"I was hunting," Sasuke stated. His heart sank a little at the thought of going back to his father empty handed after spending hours missing. Maybe no one noticed that he was gone? That was actually pretty likely since his father and brother were busy meeting with the village's leaders and his mother had been out shopping for the day getting stuff they didn't need, but providing the villagers with extra gold for their goods. Even though this particular village was wealthier than most due to its location along the border, causing it to be used as a trade hub between the two Kingdoms, the Uchiha royals still liked taking care of their citizens wherever they could and if adding extra coin to their people's pockets when they visit the large village helped then so be it.</p>
<p>Naruto scoffed, "Well, that wasn't very smart of you. Don't you know this is known as the 'Enchanted Forest'? Hunters don't come here."</p>
<p>Sasuke frowned at the insult, but he couldn't deny the blond's claims. In looking at this multi-tailed boy in front of him, he could now see where the forest got its name. He wasn't a unicorn, but he wasn't what people considered normal either.</p>
<p>A moment of awkward silence passed before Naruto broke it with an enthusiastic sway of his body. "<em>Ne</em>, Sasuke, how old are you?" the blond asked.</p>
<p>"Nine," Sasuke answered smugly.</p>
<p>Naruto's red eyes widened, "Me too!" That wasn't actually true. But, Naruto would be turning nine in a few months so he was close enough.</p>
<p>"Hn," Sasuke wasn't sure he believed the smaller boy, but decided to let it go since it didn't really matter. He decided to get to the important questions, "Do you know how to get back to the eastern border of the forest?"</p>
<p>"Sure!" Naruto smiled happily and jumped to his feet. He was happy that the throbbing in his head had gone away while he talked to his new friend. He strode up to the sitting boy and held out his hand to help him up.</p>
<p>Sasuke eyed the slightly bloody claws, but accepted the hand anyway so he wouldn't look cowardly. Uchiha's weren't cowards. He was surprised by the amount of force used to lift him up when his feet almost left the ground.</p>
<p>He brushed his hand off on his shirt once Naruto released him and bent to pick up his quiver. Nodding to the blond that he was ready, Sasuke followed Naruto as soon as he turned the complete opposite way that Sasuke had assumed was east.</p>
<p>"<em>Ne</em>, Sasuke," Naruto looked down at the bandages that were visible through the tears in his shirt, "Did you bandage me?"</p>
<p>Sasuke shrugged, "I didn't want to be responsible for you bleeding out after you went to the trouble of saving me." He stated, trying to sound casual.</p>
<p>Naruto grinned at this news. He liked his new friend. "That was really nice of you, but you didn't need to." He noticed Sasuke giving him a disbelieving look, so he clarified, "I'm a quick healer." He lifted his shirt and tore the bandages off with his claws displaying smooth unblemished skin.</p>
<p>Sasuke stared wide eyed at the blond's flawless skin and once again wondered what he was. He was glad that the boy wasn't hurt though. He didn't think his conscience would take it very well if the boy had died.</p>
<p>Sasuke walked beside Naruto for the next hour listening to him talk and answering his questions. Even though the boy talked a lot, he seemed intelligent and Sasuke found himself enjoying his company (which was rare in youths Sasuke's age). As they walked, Naruto would occasionally pause, placing a hand on Sasuke's forearm to halt him, and sniff the air. Once he was satisfied that any predators were not advancing them, he would happily continue on his way.</p>
<p>Finally, Naruto stopped and Sasuke looked at him in confusion. "This is as far as I go," Naruto shrugged, looking disappointed. He pointed forward, "The forest's edge is about fifty feet that way and the village isn't far beyond that. Do you think you can find your way in the dark?"</p>
<p>Sasuke looked around, noticing for the first time that the sun had fully set casting the forest in total darkness. He had been so distracted by Naruto that he hadn't been paying attention to where they were going. Now that he thought about it, Naruto had been gently holding onto his arm as they walked, like an adult leading their child through the market. He wondered if Naruto could see in the dark or if he was only relying on his sense of smell and hearing.</p>
<p>Naruto saw Sasuke nod; his pale skin tinted a red that seemed to glow slightly along with the rest of the surrounding forest.</p>
<p>"Thanks," Sasuke called into the darkness as he started to walk forward with his arms outstretched. Now that he was paying attention, he could see a faint light coming through the trees from the village's border torches.</p>
<p>"Maybe you can come back tomorrow so we can talk more," Naruto called out, his voice sounding a little desperate.</p>
<p>Sasuke smiled and held up a hand in farewell, "Sure, Naruto. See you tomorrow."</p>
<hr/>
<p>Naruto made it back home well after his assigned bedtime. He slowly crept up to the front door, letting his eyes adjust to the light coming through the windows. Too many times to count, the fox boy had not given his night vision enough time to adjust to a light source so he had practically blinded himself by barging into his warm home during the night. Naruto had had enough headaches for the day and didn't want to cause anymore.</p>
<p>Once the red faded from his vision, the young fox swung the front door open. "I'm home!" he called out cheerfully into the small living room.</p>
<p>Iruka looked up from his place on the table, his eyes widening. "Naruto! What happened? We were so worried!" The green fairy fluttered his wings, propelling himself into the air, and released some magic. Intently, standing in front of Naruto was a full grown man with pointed ears and no wings. Iruka took Naruto into his arms, hugging him to his chest.</p>
<p>Naruto smiled as he accepted the loving gesture by wrapping his arms around the brunet's waist. "Sorry I made you worry." He breathed in deeply, taking in the fairies unique scent— that of earth and trees— which always relaxed him and made him smile. Naruto felt a weight land on his head.</p>
<p>"Is this blood?" Raidou held up a lock of reddish-blond in his small hand and sniffed at it. He frowned at the scent of iron. "Damn, brat, what did you do?"</p>
<p>Iruka tsk'd at the blue fairies language and blew a puff of air dislodging the smaller male off of Naruto's head. Raidou spun through the air with a surprised yelp.</p>
<p>Laughter could be heard from the table where Genma was lounging on a cloth napkin that had been stuffed in a small bowl. Once Raidou righted himself he growled and let his palm fill with crackling blue magic that he was going to hurl at Genma's fat head, but Naruto's shout stopped him.</p>
<p>"I made a new friend!" Naruto exclaimed excitedly. "I saved him from <em>Garōga's</em> pack," he stated proudly.</p>
<p>Iruka's eyes widened as he pushed the blond away to hold him at arm's length and looked at his bloody and tattered clothing. "Don't tell me you fought them?!" The answer was quite obvious in looking at the boy's clothing and Iruka sighed at Naruto's sheepish grin. Naruto had such a kind heart, but he could be too reckless at times.</p>
<p>He pulled Naruto's shirt over his head to look at Naruto's injuries. He sighed when he only saw dried blood. Apparently the young blond had been injured hours ago, leaving him enough time to heal.</p>
<p>The fairies had been very surprised to find out that along with the prince's new features, he had developed an ability to heal quickly (an unforeseen side effect from the curse they were sure). The only wounds the blond wasn't able to completely heal were the scars on his cheeks which must have been made with a cursed blade.</p>
<p>Genma stood from his lounging position before stretching and lifting into the air with a quick flap of his wings. "Come on, kit," he gestured, "Let's go get you cleaned up and you can tell us all about your new friend." He turned and flew into the bathroom.</p>
<p>"K!" Naruto whooped and shrugged off his pants as he ran after the red fairy. Once he got to the bathroom, he found Genma in his human form pumping the water into the tub. Once the stone tub was filled, Genma put his arm in the cold water and let his magic flow through his fingers until the water was heated to a comfortable temperature.</p>
<p>Naruto smiled and jumped into the warm water. He grabbed a bottle of soap that had been taken from the village and started scrubbing his skin clean of blood and grime. "His name is Sasuke," he stated with a grin once all three fairies, having shrunk back to normal size, joined him in the bathroom. "He has <em>really</em> dark hair, and <em>really</em> dark eyes, and he's really pretty, and really nice, and really smart," Naruto explained all in one breath.</p>
<p>He dunked his head under the water and the fairies took a moment to exchanged amused looks. It wasn't anything new for Naruto to have met a new friend in the forest. The boy had been taught the various animal tongues and had many wild friends that had kept him company as he grew.</p>
<p>Naruto resurfaced and shook out his hair like a dog, splashing water all over the bathroom and the fairies who were sitting on the edge of the sink.</p>
<p>Iruka spluttered as he wiped the water from his face. "So what exactly happened with <em>Garōga's</em> pack?" The large wolf alpha wasn't known to be nice; he was known for his pride and aggressive nature amongst the forest's inhabitants.</p>
<p>Naruto grinned and scratched the back of his head with his clawed hand, "Oh, hehe. So, Sasuke was walking around the forest hunting when the pack jumped him. He ran and I followed them. He fell and was about to get eaten when I jumped in. I tried to talk <em>Garōga</em> into letting him go, but he didn't listen. He was like," Naruto bared his fangs and imitated the alpha in a deep voice that didn't fit the blond at all, "'If you want our kill then you have to fight us for it'." Naruto shrugged, "So we fought, and I won." He ended his story as if it wasn't a big deal.</p>
<p>"You…won…" Iruka stared at the eight year old in disbelief.</p>
<p>"That's my boy!" Raidou shouted as he took off through the air in an icy blue wind. He zoomed around the room until he slowed and shrunk his circle to form a halo around Naruto's head. "What techniques did you use?" He questioned the boy. "The tiger? Ooh, or the bear? How about the sloth?"</p>
<p>Naruto laughed as he tried to turn his head to keep track of the unusually happy fairy. He was happy that he made Raidou proud; after all, the fairy had taught him how to fight, and he would continue to teach him for as long as Naruto asked him to.</p>
<p>Genma nudged Iruka in the side and smiled at the gentle green fairy as their charge began to regale his adventures against the beastly wolf pack.</p>
<hr/>
<p>The next morning, Sasuke found himself once again wandering into the Enchanted Forest. He realized once he had gotten home the night before that he and Naruto hadn't discussed where they would meet, so he decided to stay close to the border with a sword at his hip and a keen eye on the surrounding trees.</p>
<p>He had been right in his assumption the night before. When he returned to the manor he and his family were staying in, they were there changing for dinner. Sasuke's mother had smiled at him and asked if he had a good day in town, Sasuke just shrugged and moved to the bathroom to shower before dinner. Once at dinner, Itachi had asked him what he had been doing all day and Sasuke responded with "just walking around" which wasn't exactly a lie.</p>
<p>Sasuke had decided to keep his little adventure through the woods a secret from his family. He knew that not only would they not believe that he had been saved from a pack of giant wolves by an animal boy, but they would probably think that he had gone insane. Besides, it was nice having a secret that not even his genius brother knew.</p>
<p>And now here he was again, searching for some boy that may have come from his dreams. Sasuke wondered if he had really dreamt the whole thing. It was all pretty ridiculous. He was about to give up and go home when he was hit in the head by something. He winced and looked down to see that it had been an acorn.</p>
<p>Frowning, Sasuke looked up at the trees above his head to glare accusingly at them. Instead, he was met with bright red eyes peering out of the leaves. An arm snaked out of the branches and pointed deeper into the woods. Sasuke's heartbeat picked up in excitement and he followed the other boy's orders.</p>
<p>Sasuke kept glancing up at the trees as he walked to see a branch shake quietly every once in awhile. Apparently the young prince had walked far enough when Naruto suddenly jumped out of the trees to land in front of him, barely disturbing the earth with his gentle landing.</p>
<p>The blond boy straightened from his crouching position and grinned at the raven-haired boy. "Yo."</p>
<p>Sasuke smirked in greeting.</p>
<p>"Are you ready to have some fun?" Naruto asked slyly.</p>
<p>Sasuke raised an eyebrow, "It depends on what you mean by 'fun'."</p>
<p>Naruto's grin grew wider as he grabbed onto Sasuke's wrist. "Come with me," he ordered as he led the Uchiha deeper into the forest.</p>
<p>The boys spent the rest of the day venturing through the forest, for Naruto had many wonderful things that he wanted to share with his new friend. Sasuke was amazed by the things that Naruto showed him and promised Naruto that he would come the next day to continue their adventures. Both boys went home with smiles on their faces.</p>
<hr/>
<p>On their fifth day together, the two youths were sitting by a small stream eating wild berries as they waited for their clothes to dry on some nearby rocks. Sasuke laughed at the amount of purple juice that was coating Naruto's face and fingers, and the blond playfully stuck his tongue out before licking his claws clean.</p>
<p>They shared a few moments of comfortable silence, before Sasuke sighed and decided to break the news. "I'm leaving tomorrow."</p>
<p>Naruto shifted his gaze away from his fingers over to the boy that had quickly become his best friend. "What?" he questioned confused.</p>
<p>Sasuke sighed again and ran a hand through his damp hair. "My family and I are going back home tomorrow. We were only visiting the village for a week while my father and brother talked to the village leaders."</p>
<p>"But," Naruto was lost for what to say. How could this be happening? They had been having so much fun together…</p>
<p>"I'll be back next year," Sasuke said reassuringly.</p>
<p>"Promise?" Naruto looked pleadingly at his fair skinned friend. "You won't forget me?"</p>
<p>Sasuke smiled and nodded, "I promise."</p>
<hr/>
<p>The young Uchiha prince kept his promise. Ten year old Sasuke once again found himself entering the Enchanted Forest hoping that his friend was there waiting for him.</p>
<p>He had found the past year to be quite boring, spending his days studying in the palace's library with his tutor or peacefully sitting in the royal gardens conversing with his mother while she attended to her special flowers. Itachi had been too busy with their father, the King, to spend much time with him. The older prince would be taking over for his father within the next few years when the King retired. King Fugaku thought that being a king until he died would be rather tiring and he would much rather retire, see his son take the throne, and move away to a summer cottage with his wife.</p>
<p>The only reprieve the young raven found was the company of another boy named Shikamaru, who was the only son of King Fugaku's advisor. Shikamaru was also a boy genius and Sasuke much enjoyed conversing with him. But he also suffered from narcolepsy and would often fall asleep in the middle of the day, so he wasn't available very often to provide the young prince company.</p>
<p>It seemed like Sasuke had spent the entire year looking at the calendar, knowing that he and his family would be going on their annual tour of the kingdom shortly after his tenth birthday. As his birthday approached, his mother would ask him why he seemed to be so jittery (the normally stoic child would often be seen bouncing on the balls of his feet in anticipation) and he would just shrug and say he was just looking forward to being that much closer to adulthood, all the while trying to keep an excited smile off his face.</p>
<p>Now that Sasuke was finally back in the magical forest, his eyes scanned the trees and he wondered if Naruto even knew of his return. Or even remembered their promise.</p>
<hr/>
<p>"He's a demon child!" A shrill voice could be heard from a small grass covered home, scaring nearby animals back to their burrows.</p>
<p>"Oh, calm down Raidou. Your hair looks good that color." Genma laughed as soon as he took in the normally brunet's unnatural hair color.</p>
<p>"No, he's evil," the angry fairy exclaimed as he pulled at his shiny blue locks. "My gift to him when he was born was for him to be kind and pure hearted. It must not have stuck."</p>
<p>Iruka sighed and began to search the house for something that would turn the blue fairies hair back to brown. "No, your gift was that his heart was 'as pure as gold'." '<em>Honestly, you're lucky his heart didn't turn to literal gold. I'm so glad fairy magic isn't as complicated as genie magic.' </em>He sighed when he found nothing that could help the angry man and wondered if he could grow any plants that would help.</p>
<p>"Exactly! So what the <em>fuck</em>?" The bluennet fell dramatically onto the light green couch in the living room.</p>
<p>The fairies home had acquired a fair amount of furniture over the years. The larger items were bought from the village to the east with money earned by selling the various rare plants that Iruka grew, everything else was stolen by a group of <em>kitsune</em> that Naruto was friends with. It seemed that the small magical creatures had seen the cursed prince as one of their own, and were more than happy to use their leaf tricks to appear as children so they could enter the village to bring the boy books and other little knick-knacks.</p>
<p>"Raidou… he's just having fun. There is no vindictiveness in his pranks." Genma tried to reassure his friend, though inside he was laughing like a maniac. The red fairy had been the one that provided the boy with the hair dye. Genma had found a kindred spirit in the young boy and they often found themselves sharing their ideas for pranks. He didn't know if Naruto's tricky side had come from the curse or if it was simply in his nature, but he enjoyed the hell out of it.</p>
<p>"Tell that to my hair," Raidou grumbled.</p>
<p>"Speaking of Kit, has anyone seen him?" Genma wondered as he joined the sulking fairy on the sofa.</p>
<p>Iruka entered the room with a handful of leaves and flowers that he placed into a bowl and began grinding with a softened stone. "He went to visit an old friend that just arrived this morning. He bolted from the house after the kitsune told him, and said he would be back later."</p>
<hr/>
<p>"Sasuke!" Naruto cried out as soon as he picked up his friend's scent. He jumped in excitement and followed his nose to his long lost friend. As soon as the raven came into view Naruto grinned and quickly jumped into a tree. He watched as his friend made his way deeper into the woods.</p>
<p>As soon as the Uchiha passed under the tree he was in, Naruto dropped down behind him. "Can I help you find something?" He asked with a fox-like grin.</p>
<p>Sasuke jumped in surprise and spun around to face his friend. He sighed, recomposing himself once he took in the boy's blond hair and red eyes. He smirked, "No thanks, I got it."</p>
<p>Naruto schooled his grin and nodded sagely, "I understand. I'll leave you to it then." He turned to leave, pausing only when his hand was grabbed. He smiled and turned back around, assessing his friend. "You've gotten taller."</p>
<p>Sasuke smirked as he released his friend's wrist, "You're still a shrimp."</p>
<p>Naruto puffed out his cheeks, "I'm still growing, <em>baka</em>."</p>
<p>Sasuke scoffed; of course he was still growing, he was only nine (yes, the truth of Naruto's age had come out in their adventures the previous year). "<em>Dobe</em>."</p>
<p>Naruto gaped, "What?! <em>Teme</em>, you can't call me names in languages you don't even know."</p>
<p>Sasuke smirked and crossed his arms, "I studied Japanese over the past year."</p>
<p>"Really?!" Naruto exclaimed happily.</p>
<p>Sasuke nodded, glad that he could now converse with his friends in two languages.</p>
<p>Naruto grabbed Sasuke's hand and began to lead him deeper into the forest. "Come on, tell me about your time away while we walk."</p>
<hr/>
<p>Sasuke nodded as he crouched lower into the bushes. He watched as Naruto jumped into a tree, disappearing from view.</p>
<p>He and the blond were next to the only road that passed through the Enchanted Forest. It was narrow, barely wider than a single carriage, forcing caravans traveling in the opposite direction to pull off to the side to let the other party pass before they could move on. It was said that the forest itself crafted the road, a tale that the youngest Uchiha believed more and more as he experienced the wonders of the Enchanted Forest. Even though it was an inconvenience, to avoid having to travel around miles of forest, people risked traveling through this part of the dense woods if they needed to cross the border between Wind and Fire for trade or any official business. Merchant often hired mercenaries or hunters to defend them just in case bandits lay in wait (if they were brave or dumb enough to be in the forest in the first place), or more likely the beasts of the forest decided to they wanted a human meal. No one ventured off the road and nobody traveled the road at night. No one dared widen the road, unwilling to disturbed the sanctity of the forest. Even the trees were watching.</p>
<p>Sasuke stilled as the sound of horses approaching. He moved so he was lying on his stomach amongst the tall ferns. He grabbed the base of a young tree and waited.</p>
<p>Just as a small caravan was passing them, Naruto let out a deep rumbling growl, causing the horses and humans to freeze in their tracks. Sasuke smirked and began shaking the young sapling drawing the group's attention.</p>
<p>Just as the hunters turned their bows towards him, Naruto shook the tree with another growl. Sasuke rolled away to another sapling a little farther down the path.</p>
<p>Sasuke could see the horses shuffle nervously and threw a rock at a nearby tree before shaking another tree. He and Naruto kept moving and shaking the foliage as the merchants and hunters became more afraid. The humans were sure that they were surrounded by wild beasts.</p>
<p>Without warning, Naruto let out a ferocious roar and the horses took off running, the humans screaming in terror. As soon as the cries faded into the distance, Naruto and Sasuke burst into laughter. Naruto fell out of a tree with an 'omph' as his giggles consumed him. .</p>
<p>The two children had spent the last few hours playing pranks on poor travelers. Sasuke had been wary at first since it was unbecoming of a prince to play such childish games, but Naruto's laughter and the adrenaline he felt when the hunters turned their weapons on him soon made him realize he enjoyed the activity.</p>
<p>Once the two youths regained their senses, they decided to call it a day and headed back to the forest's eastern edge. Sasuke and Naruto parted just as the sky turned red with the setting sun. Sasuke once again promised to return the next day. He and Naruto were going to make the most of their time together.</p>
<hr/>
<p>"You've gotten taller," Naruto commented as he looked up at the twelve year old Uchiha.</p>
<p>Sasuke smirked, "You're still a shrimp."</p>
<p>Naruto huffed and crossed his arms over his chest while his tails swished behind him excitedly, "I'm still growing, <em>baka</em>."</p>
<p>"Hn<em>, Dobe</em>," Sasuke stated, a playful smile pulling at his lips. .</p>
<p>Naruto smiled back, his sharp fangs and red eye glistening in the mid-morning light. "<em>Teme</em>."</p>
<p>The boys greeted each other like this every year as Sasuke kept his promise to not forget Naruto and to come back to play with him as soon as he came into town.</p>
<p>Sasuke's parents gave up asking the young prince where he ran off to every time they visited this particular village once they realized the boy had never given them a straight answer. In the end, all that mattered was that he was <em>safe.</em></p>
<p>As for Naruto's guardians, they always knew when Sasuke was in town because Naruto's mood would always improve dramatically whenever the boy was around. Naruto would be bouncing off the walls when he got home from his day with the other boy, his normally bubbly personality boiling over with joy. They still didn't know that Naruto's friend for the last three years was a human — Naruto only shared their adventures together and had never talked about his looks other than the first time he had given them a vague description of the boy.</p>
<p>Naruto's eyes twinkled as he grabbed Sasuke's hand— a move that the prince had grown used to over the years. "Come on, I have something I want to show you."</p>
<p>"What is it?" Sasuke questioned— his own excitement building as he followed the blond without a second thought.</p>
<p>Naruto gave him a sly grin over his shoulder, "It's a secret."</p>
<p>The Uchiha released an exasperated sigh, though the amused smile playing on his lips never wavered.</p>
<p>Naruto led Sasuke into a large clearing and let out a series of strange sounding whistles. Sasuke waited for something to happen as Naruto grinned like a madman.</p>
<p>"What—?" Sasuke's question was cut off by the sound of hooves. He looked toward the sound to see a large white creature appear out of the tree line. "Is that what I think it is?" he asked in disbelief as the animal approached them.</p>
<p>Naruto nodded and tugged Sasuke towards the unicorn. "Her name is <em>Fleur</em>. She was born two years ago and is now old enough to ride."</p>
<p>"Ride?" Sasuke's eyes widened as the unicorn gracefully walked right up to Naruto and let him pet her on the snout.</p>
<p>"What, you don't know how to ride?" Naruto smirked teasingly at his friend.</p>
<p>Sasuke scoffed in indignation, "Of course I do." He watched as the unicorn brought her head down to nuzzle against Naruto's chest, her sharp horn lying over his left shoulder. He noticed Naruto whispering in her ear and realized he was talking to the beautiful creature. He had seen the blond talk to many different beasts over the last few years, but the sight amazed him every time.</p>
<p>Naruto finished asking the young mare if he and Sasuke could ride her and once she accepted, he climbed onto her back and held a hand out for the raven. Sasuke beamed—a rare wide smile that reached his dark eyes, only reserved for the boy in front of him— and accepted the help up, settling behind Naruto after making sure the pile of orange tails were pushed out of the way. Once his arms were securely wrapped around Naruto's thin waste, the blond let out a strange low noise and <em>Fleur</em> took off.</p>
<p>...</p>
<p>A few hours later, the two young teens found themselves lounging on some rocks by the small stream they enjoyed playing in every year. Naruto was lying on his back with his tails wrapped around his bare hips as he enjoyed the warm sun on his tanned skin. His eyes were closed as he relaxed and a content smile came to his face as he started humming softly.</p>
<p>Sasuke was sitting not too far away from him, dressed only in his shorts. Over the years, he and Naruto had taken to swimming in the nude, because why not? They were both boys and didn't have anything to hide. Sasuke leaned back so he was braced up by his arms and stared out at the forest that had become so special to him. He felt his body relax as Naruto's soft tune washed over him.</p>
<p>"Dammit," Naruto grumbled, pulling Sasuke out of his thoughts.</p>
<p>The Uchiha looked over to his frowning friend, the tranquil mood not leaving his relaxed body, "What's up?"</p>
<p>"I have an erection," Naruto whined as he shifted his tails tighter around his hips. He loosened the leather band around his neck so the cord was longer and moved the small green crystal into his mouth, rolling the pendant with his tongue to try to distract himself from his annoying problem. He didn't know where he had gotten the necklace, but he never took it off and he often found himself chewing on it when bored or uncomfortable.</p>
<p>Sasuke snorted in amusement. He understood the blond's frustration; he had been suffering from random erections since he started going through puberty as well. The annoying appendage would just spring up at the most inconvenient times with no prompting whatsoever. He should have known he and the blond were suffering from similar ailments by the way Naruto's voice sounded a little different than he remembered. It would randomly squeak like his throat went suddenly dry and Naruto's cheeks would tint a light shade of red in embarrassment. He silently wondered if the blond even knew what he was going through.</p>
<p>Naruto huffed in annoyance as he shifted uncomfortably. He had been having this problem for the past couple weeks and had screamed in terror the first time it happened. He ran to the fairies and they just looked at each other in embarrassment, Genma then rushed out of the house to go to the village's bookstore to get a book on puberty for Naruto to read and Iruka sat Naruto down to have 'the talk' (which this blond found to be gross). Raidou had mysteriously disappeared.</p>
<p>Once the erections started becoming more regular, albeit sporadic, he had gotten over his embarrassment. But now that it was happening with Sasuke around, Naruto felt extremely uncomfortable for some reason. He sighed and rolled off the rock into the cool stream.</p>
<p>Sasuke watched the blond fox swim for a while before he leaned back onto his back and closed his eyes, feeling the shift of warmth over his bare torso as the clouds moved past the sun.</p>
<hr/>
<p>The week passed slowly for the two teens, but not slowly enough for their liking. The boys had spent a good amount of their time running, playing, and pranking travelers. Unfortunately their time was once again up and Sasuke had to return home for another year.</p>
<p>"Promise you won't forget me?" Naruto prompted like he usually did when they were saying their final goodbyes.</p>
<p>"Promise," Sasuke nodded in confirmation as a small smirk played that the corner of his lips.</p>
<p>Naruto smiled sadly and watched his friend make his way towards the forest's edge.</p>
<p>Just as Sasuke stepped out of the tree line, he turned and waved. Even though Naruto was no longer visible, Sasuke knew he could see him and a part of him knew that the blond was waving back. Sighing, Sasuke turned his back once more on his friend and ran back to the village.</p>
<hr/>
<p>A month later, Sasuke gently knocked on the thick wooden door of his father's study. He pushed the door open and stepped into the candle lit room once he heard acknowledgement from his father to enter.</p>
<p>The Uchiha prince approached his father's desk, where the man was finishing up some paperwork. He casually sank down into a plush chair opposite the King.</p>
<p>Once he made his final signature, King Fugaku took off his reading glasses, steepling his fingers in front of him, and looked at his son. A small frown came to his lips and he sighed. "Sasuke, we have to talk about your behavior."</p>
<p>Sasuke raised an eyebrow, but waited for his father to continue.</p>
<p>Receiving no reply from the twelve year old, Fugaku stood and began to pace his office, defending his decision before he even shared it with his son. "Now, even though you are not the crown prince, who will one day inherit the throne, you are still an Uchiha prince and as such certain things are required of you."</p>
<p>"Have I failed somewhere in my lessons?" Sasuke questioned as he followed his father's movements around the room. "According to my tutors, I've excelled in my sciences and literature, as well as fencing and archery. Have I not learned enough languages?"</p>
<p>Fugaku shook his head, knowing that Sasuke had taken to learning multiple languages over the past few years without being asked to do so (much to his parent's delight).</p>
<p>"Have I hurt someone? Offended someone in any way?" Sasuke questioned, getting a little annoyed.</p>
<p>"You're not social enough!" Fugaku exclaimed, feeling a little exasperated. "Over the past few years you have been getting more unruly. You have been playing childish pranks on people and have been all around grumpy, if not depressed." Fugaku took in his son's slight frown and continued, "I've been talking with your mother and she agrees with me that you need more interaction with children your own age; children with noble lineage who know the proper edicate for a prince."</p>
<p>Sasuke shifted in his seat, not liking where this was going, "And?"</p>
<p>Fugaku paused in his pacing, wishing his wife was having this discussion with them, but she was away visiting her ailing mother. Why did he feel so nervous? This was ridiculous. He was the King for goodness sake. And it wasn't like this was such a big deal…in fact, this was rather common. Realizing that his stoic son would take this decision calmly, he straightened his shoulders and cleared his throat. "You are being sent to Saint Kaguya's Royal Academy," he stated, making it clear that refusal was not an option. "You will stay there until your studies are complete. You will only be allowed to leave to return home during the Christmas holiday."</p>
<p>"And summer break," Sasuke corrected.</p>
<p>Fugaku shook his head, "The Academy is run year round so you will not be returning even for your birthday."</p>
<p>"WHAT?!" Sasuke shouted, startling his father who had never experienced or expected such an outburst from the normally quiet prince. "I have to come back during summer," Sasuke exclaimed.</p>
<p>"And why is that?" Fugaku questioned, "All you ever do is mope around. Even when we travel for our annual meetings, you just disappear so you can be antisocial. Your mother and I aren't the only ones that notice. Why, just last month the Lord of <em>Mokugakure</em> wanted to introduce you to his daughter, who is a lovely young lady around your age, but you were nowhere to be found."</p>
<p>Sasuke rolled his eyes. Of course he couldn't be found. That was the village that was near the Enchanted Forest, so even if they had scoured the village all day no one would find him since he wasn't there. "I'm not going," Sasuke declared, folding his arms over his chest in defiance.</p>
<p>"You are leaving next week," Fugaku ordered sternly.</p>
<p>"No!" Sasuke shot out of his seat in anger, "I made a promise to Naruto that I can't break!"</p>
<p>"Naruto?" Fugaku asked in confusion, "Who is Naruto?"</p>
<p>Not able to help himself as he panicked, Sasuke broke down and told his father everything that had happened over the past three years.</p>
<hr/>
<p>One week later, Sasuke scowled as he slouched in a chair and stared at the man across from him.</p>
<p>"Hello Sasuke, my name is Sarutobi Hiruzen. I am the councilor here at Saint Kaguya's. I've been told that you believe your best friend is a fox boy who lives with fairies." The man said as he smiled at the young prince.</p>
<p>Sasuke's eyes narrowed slightly and he nodded.</p>
<p>"I see," Sarutobi sighed and took off his reading glasses, "Well, why don't you lie down and tell me about it. We'll see what we can do about that."</p>
<hr/>
<p> </p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>A.N- Note- Garōga (the alpha wolf) means Dual Wolf Fang and is the super-spin Kiba uses.</p>
<p>Mokugakure means Forest village. I know… creative…</p>
<p>Hope you liked it!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. There and Back Again</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Sasuke's back, but are they the same boys they once were?</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>A.N.- Welcome back! Thanks for the comments, I'm glad you seem to be liking this so far! I'm sorry this is a day late, I had a migraine all day yesterday and forgot to post :(. Anyway, here is the next chapter! Warnings, I guess: A lot more angst, attempted murder.</p>
<p>R&amp;R and Enjoy!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p> </p>
<hr/>
<p>"Our time we had together,</p>
<p>We thought would last forever</p>
<p>You will always know</p>
<p>What we said and what we showed</p>
<p>Stay with me,</p>
<p>In this moment I remain in your arms,</p>
<p>In your memories and dreams</p>
<p>Will you wake up and still remember?" -Our time we had together by Machinae Supremacy</p>
<p>A Very Foxy Fairytale</p>
<p>3. There and Back Again</p>
<p>Naruto woke with a gasp and wiped the thin layer of sweat from his brow. He had that same dream again. The dream that had plagued him for many years now, filled with such joy, and also horror and despair.</p>
<p>He could never quite remember what he saw in these dreams, just colors and feelings. He knew that there were people who he didn't know: a red-head and a blond. He knew these people were good, for they brought a lightness to his heart. He felt warm in their presence and content with the words they would whisper in his ears as they held him, but he could never remember their words when he woke. Then there was the figure with the glowing golden eyes that made Naruto scream every time it appeared in his dreams. This golden eyed creature always brought with it pain and sorrow.</p>
<p>Naruto shivered as he tried to erase those cruel eyes from his memory. Stretching, he looked out his small window to see early dawn filtering through the forest's thick trees. The morning air had a nice chill to it that would soon be replaced with the heat of the summer sun. A deep breath washed away any lingering feelings of dread and Naruto smiled, '<em>Another beautiful morning.'</em></p>
<p>Getting up, Naruto pulled a pair of blue shorts over his bare hips, buttoning the three buttons above his tails so the garment wouldn't fall when he walked. All of his clothing had been altered to accommodate his tails (according to Iruka, it was 'uncivil' for him to run around butt naked). His pants— like his shorts— were open in the back to cradle his tails and would wrap around them to button along his lower back. He never bothered with underwear, finding it was too much of a hassle, and he always slept nude (because who was going to judge him?).</p>
<p>Deciding that the morning air would feel good on his heated skin, Naruto opted to not wear a shirt. Honestly, he didn't know why he even wore clothing. No other creatures of the forest wore clothing, except for the fairies when they assumed human form. <em>That </em>amused the blond to no end, watching the three men who raised him shift uncomfortably in their garments even though as fairies they didn't even have genitalia to hide. Fairies were born from seeds the queen fairy planted under the blue moon and had no need for things such as sex.</p>
<p>Sighing, Naruto moved silently through his home. He smiled as he walked past a small hollow in the wall and looked in to see his guardians snoozing on a pile of feathers and leaves. Not wanting to disturb their sleep, he moved to the door and exited. Stretching once more, the nineteen year old took off into the forest for a morning jog.</p>
<hr/>
<p>"My love, I'm worried about Sasuke," Uchiha Mikoto called to her husband as she walked into his office.</p>
<p>The king looked up from his papers to frown at his wife in confusion. "Why? What's wrong?"</p>
<p>Mikoto sighed and sat on the edge of Fugaku's desk. "He's been home for over a year already and he hasn't improved. He seems even more cut off than he was before he went to the academy. He hardly talks to anyone and when he does he's always so cold and uninterested. I don't think I've seen him smile once since he returned home."</p>
<p>"That's just his personality. He was always quiet and serious," Fugaku squeezed her hand in reassurance. "He also probably misses his friends from school and is having trouble adjusting to being home."</p>
<p>Mikoto pursed her lips in thought, "Maybe we shouldn't go on the trip this year. I'm sure the village leaders will understand."</p>
<p>Fugaku shook his head, "No, it's better that he goes. He needs to get out of the castle and see how much the kingdom has changed over the years. Besides, I want to see how he interacts with people outside the castle. We forced him to stay home last year since we thought it would be too soon after he graduated from the academy to be away from home for so long, but he's turning twenty this year and we need to find him a wife."</p>
<p>Mikoto opened her mouth to protest, but Fugaku held up a hand to silence her. "No. I held off letting him go off on his own for a year because you asked me to, saying you wanted to spend time with him, but we've waited long enough. A man his age should have already gone off on adventures and seen the world, but now he needs to settle down. We'll make him choose a wife at Itachi's coronation in a few months." At his wife's look of unease, Fugaku took her hand before caressing her cheek lovingly. "I've put off retiring long enough. I want to make sure that both of our children are set in their lives before we set off on our own new adventure. It's for the best."</p>
<p>Mikoto sighed in resignation and nodded. She placed a kiss on her husband's forehead and left to remind her children of their upcoming trip.</p>
<hr/>
<p>Sasuke sighed as he entered the forest unnoticed. He knew that his father would be mad at him for disappearing, but the man had been driving him crazy this entire stupid trip. It seemed like the king had made it his goal in life to introduce Sasuke to every available female with even a hint of noble blood. His most recent 'catch of the day' was the daughter of the village leader, a very old friend of his parents who had chosen to move out to this prosperous little village then stay in the large city some ten miles to the northeast.</p>
<p>The girl's long blonde hair had intrigued him at first (the twenty year old had developed a 'thing' for blondes during his years at the academy), but then the girl opened her mouth. Sasuke couldn't handle it, the girl talked far too much and about stupid small town topics that bored the Uchiha to death.</p>
<p>The prince wasted no time grabbing his hunting gear and sneaking off into the bordering forest. He was hoping that the thrill of the hunt would calm his temper somewhat before he returned to the village to face his father again.</p>
<p>He grumbled to himself as his legs brushed through the tall ferns. He preferred to hunt via horseback since it meant he wouldn't have to carry his catch home. He didn't look forward to lugging a few hundred pound buck back to the village, but he would make due. That heavy weight would be nothing compared to the weight his family was trying to thrust upon his shoulders.</p>
<p>The thick forest was filled with the noises of birds, bugs, and various small critters as they played games of tag in the undergrowth and in the trees. He was filled with satisfaction as he noticed he hadn't alerted the inhabitants of the forest to his presence. He let his eyes move over the landscape hoping to catch a sight of a deer or its trail.</p>
<p>His attention drew to a patch of trampled ferns and he made his way toward them. He came upon a thin, but well used game trail, and smirked when he saw the telltale signs of deer droppings. Deciding his luck couldn't get any better, Sasuke followed the trail deeper into the woods.</p>
<p>Two hours later Sasuke wiped the sweat from his brow in agitation. This was a long trail in an even bigger forest, and he hadn't seen any animal larger than a rabbit, which had bolted away as soon as he spotted it. He was feeling overheated and extremely annoyed to the point of deciding to turn around and return to the village.</p>
<p>He turned on his heels just as the sound of soft music filled his ears. "Where's that coming from?" Sasuke softly questioned as he tried to pinpoint the direction the music was coming from. It was unusual for people to be in this forest. He had heard from one of the villagers that there was a great beast roaming these woods who had been terrorizing travelers for years. So who could be playing music this deep in the woods?</p>
<p>Letting his curiosity take over, Sasuke followed the sound. As the music grew louder, Sasuke realized it was the gentle strumming of a guitar and soon it was accompanied by a soft voice. The voice became clearer the closer he got and he noticed that it belonged to a male. He hadn't heard a voice quite like this one before and he found it to be beautiful and calming, like the call of a siren. That thought brought a small frown to his face and his grip tightened on his bow as his feet continued to carry him toward the source of the music.</p>
<p>He stopped as he came upon a small clearing, hiding his form behind a thick growth of low hanging branches. He looked through the foliage, feeling his breath catch in his chest.</p>
<p>Well, he found his buck. The large male deer was lounging in the clearing next to a doe, his large regal antlers displaying his old age. However, Sasuke's gaze wasn't on the game he had been hunting all morning. Instead he focused on the source of the enchanting music.</p>
<p>Sitting in the soft grass, with his back leaning against a large tree was a man. The golden haired male was singing as he strummed an old guitar. Animals lounged around him enjoying his tune that was mainly filled with "la's" which changed in pitch and frequency as they accompanied the guitar. A chill ran up Sasuke's spine as he took in the strange words that would accompany the man's simple melody, words he had never heard before and yet they seemed to be echoed back to the man by the very forest itself in a <em>different voice </em>as if the two were singing a duet. The entire tune was both eerie and captivating to listen to, and Sasuke couldn't pull his eyes away.</p>
<p>Sasuke was standing to the blond's left so his view of the pile of fluffy orange furs behind the musician was not obscured. He had to wonder why anyone would make a cloak out of orange fox fur— grey or white he could understand, but that bright color just screamed for attention. Though it did look comfortable as a backrest.</p>
<p>Sasuke looked away from the fox tails and returned his attention back to the singer. His bronze skin glistened in the patches of light streaming down in beams from the foliage above. He wore simple black shorts and an off white sleeveless tunic that tied in the front with a leather strap. His arms were muscular, but lean, and his muscles moved under his skin as he moved his arm along the neck of the guitar.</p>
<p>A small smile was on the male's lips as he sang, and Sasuke squinted to try to make out his eye color, but he couldn't tell from looking from the side. There was no denying that the mysterious man was beautiful, even though he somehow had a dangerous quality about him. That being said, the Uchiha prince began to wonder who this enchanting creature was.</p>
<p>There was something forbidden about the scene he had stumbled upon, like it was only meant for creatures of the forest, but Sasuke couldn't bring himself to leave or reveal himself to the blond male and his animal companions. He stood frozen, hypnotized by the blond's song and features, a pleasant warmth building in his belly as he watched and listened.</p>
<p>Sasuke had only been standing there, hidden amongst the branches, for less than a minute when the singing man inhaled deeply to start his next verse and froze mid inhale. The blond's hands stilled on the guitar and he closed his eyes to breathe deeply through his nose, cocking his head slightly as if listening to the now silent forest.</p>
<p>Sasuke held his breath and made sure to not move a muscle, hoping the blond wouldn't notice him. He watched as a grin came to the other man's lips, but it was quickly replaced by a frown. A growl sounded through the clearing, causing the animals around the blond to tense nervously. Sasuke's grip on his bow tightened. It was clear that the deep growl was coming from the blond.</p>
<p>With slow grace, the musician placed his guitar on the ground next to him and suddenly in a blur he was gone. Sasuke's eyes widened as he looked at the empty spot in front of the tree, his brain took a second to register that the man had vanished. His eyes swept over the clearing, finding no sign of the blond. '<em>Damn</em>,' he didn't even try to explain the near crushing disappointment that the man's disappearance.</p>
<p>"It's not nice sneaking up on people," a male voice stated casually from behind him.</p>
<p>Sasuke spun around and let loose an arrow towards his would-be attacker. He watched the blond male jerk to the side in a swift motion to grab the arrow out of the air before it hit him in the face. The man scowled and turned a glare onto the Uchiha as he snapped the arrow in his fist in half. Sasuke's eyes were wide, his gaze lingering on the clawed hand that so easily evaded his attack. His dark eyes wandered to the blond's face and he couldn't help but swallow nervously as blood red eyes bore into him. Sharp fangs peeked through the man's frown, intimidating and deadly.</p>
<p>Deciding his Uchiha-ness wouldn't allow him to be a coward, Sasuke moved his feet into a defensive stance and turned his expression to a neutral bored look that he had perfected over the years.</p>
<p>The blond dropped the broken arrow and raised an eyebrow at the raven's blank look. The intensity of his stare unnerved Sasuke more than Itachi's piercing gaze did. Sasuke's hand tightened a little more on his bow, the only sign of his unease. His breath hitched in anticipation when the red-eyed man suddenly sighed as if in exasperation. The blond straightened to his full height ーSasuke took note that he was a few inches taller than the creature and a part of him rejoiced at this miniscule advantageー, and crossed his arms over his chest. He cocked his head to the side as he sized up the Uchiha. "You've gotten taller."</p>
<p>Before Sasuke could think of what to say, his mouth automatically replied for him, "You're still a shrimp." His eyes widened slightly, '<em>Where did that come from? Why does this seem so familiar?</em>' Before he could ponder over the situation further, a huge grin formed on the blond's face and Sasuke was suddenly tackled to the forest floor.</p>
<p>All the air rushed out of Sasuke's lungs as he was slammed between the hard ground and the golden beast. His hands fisted against the dirt and leaves at his sides as he gasped in a lungful of air. Something akin to panic started to trickle into his mind. What if this man was going to eat him or something? He'd seen his claws and fangs, as well as his amazing speed. Not to mention the fact that he was now practically lying on top of Sasuke pinning him to the ground with his clawed hand cradling his head while he…nuzzled into his hair.</p>
<p>A small shudder ran through the raven when the blond's nose brushed just behind his ear allowing him to hear a deep inhalation from the male on top of him. His eyes widened. '<em>Oh gods, he's </em>smelling <em>me. What if it's not food he wants from me? What if-?'</em></p>
<p>"I'm still growing, <em>baka</em>," the blond's mumbled reply against his ear halted Sasuke's panicked thoughts in their tracks.</p>
<p>That statement, and its particular use of Japanese, sparked something inside Sasuke. A memory, or perhaps a memory of a dream, tickled at his consciousness as he stared up at the blue sky that peeked through the thick green foliage. He let his gaze drift down to the tan shoulder and neck that was positioned just below his throat, then to the bright, thick, and wild blond hair currently tickling his nose.</p>
<p>Images of running through thick woods, following behind tan, gold, and orange flooded his mind. Running, swimming, climbing, and all around play circled around this shining creature. Feelings of being content and <em>happy, </em>two things he hadn't felt for so long, came with these images. However, the images were jumbled and blurry so he couldn't quite figure out what they meant.</p>
<p>His brows creased in confusion when something soft brushed against the back of his left hand. He turned his hand over to feel it better and his breath hitched when he realized it was fur and it was moving through his fingers on its own accord.</p>
<p>Sasuke lifted his head slightly to look down at the fur brushing against his hand and found an orange fox tail. Not a coat as he had assumed, but moving and alive all on its own. As he stared at the soft fur, a particular memory came to the forefront of his mind…</p>
<p>"<em>Are you going to eat me?" Sasuke asked, his eyes narrowing in suspicion.</em></p>
<p>
  <em>The blond boy's eyes widened in surprise and then he burst out laughing. "Why would I do that?" he wheezed between giggles. "I just saved you from those wolves, so why would I kill you now?"</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>Sasuke glared at the giggling moron, even though he felt a rush of relief. "Maybe you wanted their kill for yourself," he accused.</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>The other boy quickly gained control over his giggles and looked seriously at Sasuke, "I'm not going to hurt you," he said slowly. He smiled brightly when the raven nodded in understanding. "What's your name?" the blond questioned excitedly.</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>Sasuke hesitated a moment, not sure if he should be telling this creature anything about himself. But, the boy seemed like an ally, especially after saving his life, so where was the harm? It wasn't like they were going to meet again. Sasuke straightened up, "Uchiha Sasuke," he stated proudly.</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>The blond boy moved his legs so the soles of his feet were touching and he rested his elbows on his inner thighs as he grabbed onto his feet with both hands so he could rock back and forth gently. He smile happily, "I'm-"</em>
</p>
<p>"Naruto," Sasuke breathed out as he let the soft tail fall from his fingers.</p>
<p>Naruto scoffed, not taking his face out of Sasuke's dark hair, "Took you long enough, <em>Teme</em>."</p>
<p>A gentle smile came to Sasuke's lips and he moved to rest his arms around the blond's waist in a gentle embrace, "Hn<em>, Dobe</em>."</p>
<p>The two men didn't say anything else for quite some time; they just laid there on the forest floor trying to get over the shock of seeing each other after so many years of being apart.</p>
<hr/>
<p>"You didn't come back," Naruto frowned.</p>
<p>Sasuke looked into the deep red eyes of his long forgotten friend and could easily see the pain and betrayal that Naruto was trying to hide. Remorse filled him and he looked down to where the blond was holding onto his navy blue shirt with his clawed hand. Naruto had refused to completely relinquish his hold on Sasuke, as if he was afraid he would disappear again. The Uchiha didn't blame him.</p>
<p>He sighed and leaned back against the large tree that Naruto had been sitting beneath earlier. "I know, and I'm sorry. My father sent me to an academy far away," he paused, "That's a place where you are forced to learn things against your will."</p>
<p>Naruto snorted and rolled his eyes, "I know what an academy is, <em>baka.</em> I may live in a forest, but I'm not stupid."</p>
<p>Sasuke smirked, enjoying how easily they were falling back into their friendship. It was like he had never left. "Did you learn that from one of your books?" he mocked. Naruto glared at him in annoyance. Sasuke shook his head and continued his earlier explanation, "Anyway, the academy ran pretty much year round and I wasn't given a choice in the matter."</p>
<p>Naruto nodded in understanding, but then he pursed his lips. He shifted so he was sitting on his knees, facing Sasuke instead of sitting with their shoulders touching as they both leaned against the tree. "You promised you wouldn't forget me, but you did anyway… Don't say you didn't, I saw the fear in your eyes." Naruto's eyebrows creased as he remembered the panic, and the pain he felt when Sasuke had shot that arrow at him.</p>
<p>Not liking that particular look, Sasuke snorted in an attempt to soften the blow, "Like I would be afraid of a moron like you."</p>
<p>Naruto grinned, his fangs glistening in the sunlight shining through the tree branches. Sasuke felt his stomach tighten at the expression on his friend's face, but quickly pushed the feeling aside as Naruto began to speak.</p>
<p>"Still, how could you forget <em>this</em>?" Naruto motioned to himself with the hand that wasn't latched onto Sasuke's shirt.</p>
<p>Sasuke watched as Naruto's tails flared out behind him to move lazily through the air as if to prove his point. One orange tail moved around Naruto's hips to brush against Sasuke's knee a few times before it came to rest there.</p>
<p>Sasuke ran a hand through his hair in exasperation, "Everyone was convinced I was crazy when I told them why I didn't want to leave." He leveled Naruto with a look and watched as the blond's red eyes widened at his words. "I was eventually convinced of the same thing… or at least that I had an imaginary friend." He shrugged uncomfortably, his eyes averting in his shame, "Through lots of therapy, I came to the conclusion that you weren't real and then forced myself to forget."</p>
<p>Naruto's eyes prickled with tears and he launched himself at his best friend.</p>
<p>Sasuke released a grunt as he once again found himself pinned under the blond, this time sprawled half on his side instead of flat on his back. He hissed in pain as a root dug into his hip and shifted so he was a little more comfortable.</p>
<p>"You remember me now though, so it's ok," Naruto whispered as he once again nuzzled into Sasuke's hair, relishing in his unique scent. "Everything's ok."</p>
<p>Sasuke smiled and released a small sigh as he gently pat Naruto's back in reassurance. "Yeah, everything's ok."</p>
<hr/>
<p>"…and when he mixed the solutions together the whole thing exploded in his face in a giant cloud of green smoke. His hair looked like a frizzled mess and his skin was dyed lime green for two weeks," Sasuke finished his story with a slight upturn of the corner of his lips.</p>
<p>Naruto burst out laughing, rolling onto his back and clutching his stomach as it cramped with the force of his giggles. The stories Sasuke had to tell about his days away at the academy were so interesting and hilarious. Not to mention the raven's voice had settled into a deep timbre, smooth as silk, that soothed the blond as much as it warmed his insides.</p>
<p>Sasuke's smile widened as he listened to his friend's laughter ring through the thick forest. He hadn't heard anyone laugh quite like Naruto, so open and unreserved. It was like a balm to the soul.</p>
<p>"Please tell me you know how he did that," Naruto wheezed once he calmed down enough to talk. "I would love to prank Raidou with that someday," he grinned at the thought as he wiped tears of mirth out of his eyes.</p>
<p>Sasuke snorted in amusement, "Aren't you a little old to be pranking?" He looked down at the blond who was still sprawled out on the grass.</p>
<p>Naruto grinned up at the Uchiha prince, "You're <em>never</em> too old to prank."</p>
<p>Sasuke hm'd, neither agreeing or disagreeing, and the two men fell into a comfortable silence as they observed each other. Sasuke cocked his head to the side in contemplation. Now that he thought about it, the Enchanted Forest was known for being haunted by a terrible beast…</p>
<p>Sasuke's dark eyes ran over Naruto's wild golden hair that fell layered almost to his shoulders, some strands curling around his neck and pointed ears while others curved outward, wild and yet soft at the same time. He stared at the blood red eyes that had black slit pupils dividing down their center and knew he should have felt some sort of fear of them. They were the eyes of a predator, but all Sasuke could see was happiness and mischief dancing in their red depths. Sasuke's own dark eyes moved down to the full lips that were formed into a lazy smile and knew that deadly fangs were hidden beneath them, as well as a sharp tongue that never ceased its intelligent chatter. His perusal moved along Naruto muscular tan arms that lead to deadly clawed hands which were hidden and resting comfortably under Naruto's golden head. Sasuke's gaze started to trail down Naruto's strong torso before he caught himself and brought his eyes back to his whiskered face.</p>
<p>Naruto was beautiful, in fact he had always been, but he was no 'terrible beast'. "Hn," Sasuke grunted and turned his attention to the surrounding forest as that thought crossed his mind. He wondered if Naruto had kept up the pranks of terrorizing random travelers while he had been away. That would explain his reputation. Though, it was kind of an amusing thought that they had created the myth together as children by playing silly games.</p>
<hr/>
<p>Sasuke stared in awe.</p>
<p>"Aren't they amazing?!" Naruto asked, combing his fingers through a snow white mane.</p>
<p>Sasuke glanced up at Naruto to nod in affirmative before returning his attention to the two young unicorns standing on either side of the blond.</p>
<p>"This one is <em>Kokuyo,</em>" Naruto raised a hand to brush over the pure black mane of the equally dark colt, "and this is his twin <em>Weiss," </em>he turned to the white filly. "<em>Fleur </em>had them a few weeks ago. Aren't they beautiful?"</p>
<p>Sasuke's eyes moved from the fouls to be met with a blinding smile. He glanced at the mother unicorn that he could now remember riding so many years ago before returning his attention back to Naruto. It was a sobering feeling to see how much had changed since he had been gone. How much he hadn't even been aware there was to change.</p>
<p>"Yes. They are." He couldn't quite get his smile to reach his eyes.</p>
<hr/>
<p>"You're going to get sunburned."</p>
<p>"No I'm not. I'm mostly in the shade."</p>
<p>"Your skin is so white it's blinding me. I literally can't see where I'm swimming."</p>
<p>"You're so dumb, being in your presence is making me dumber."</p>
<p>"Ouch, that was uncalled for. At least my burn was true, you ass. I'm probably smarter than you are anyway."</p>
<p>"Tsk."</p>
<p>"Are you 'tsk'ing' because now you feel bad for being mean or because you know I'm right?"</p>
<p>"Shut up moron, and stop smiling like that."</p>
<p>"Your nose is starting to burn."</p>
<p>"Fuck."</p>
<hr/>
<p>Once again the slow strumming of a guitar accompanied by random hums of a soft male voice filled the forest air. It was three days after their reunion and Naruto sat with his back propped up against a fallen log, one leg bent to help support his instrument as his clawed fingers lazily moved along its strings, while his other lay straight.</p>
<p>Sasuke was lying on his back on a cool patch of moss. His hands were clasped comfortably on his stomach and his legs were sprawled flat and crossed at the ankles. His head of midnight locks rested on Naruto's straight leg, right above the knee. It would appear as if the raven haired man was sleeping if it weren't for the content smile on his face.</p>
<p>Naruto was mostly humming the tune quietly to himself, but occasionally half formed words would break through his lips as if he was aching to sing the song loudly for all to hear. Naruto had always been like that: humming, singing, laughing, talking. Just being so full of life and light. That thought made Sasuke's eyes open slowly and drift over to look up at Naruto's profile.</p>
<p>The fox was looking at his hand holding the neck of the guitar, making sure that none of his claws severed the metal strings. Sasuke noticed that Naruto held his hand held differently compared to the other musicians he'd seen play over the years. He wondered how long it had taken Naruto to learn to play without damaging the instrument and if it was uncomfortable for him to twist his fingers so he played with the pads of his fingers instead of the tips. It wasn't like the blond could clip his strangely thick claws. Sasuke remembered how they met, the fight with the wolf pack. Naruto needed those claws out here in the forest.</p>
<p>A slight frown came to Sasuke's lips at the thought of Naruto constantly needing to fight to survive. He knew, of course, that the blond could take care of himself. Naruto had proven that fact when he was a mere child and now he was a full grown adult, but Sasuke didn't want Naruto to just survive. He wanted his dearest friend to <em>live</em>.</p>
<p>Sasuke's breath hitched at that thought, at the decision he had just come to, and Naruto's fingers stilled on his guitar.</p>
<p>Red eyes peered down at him in concern, "What's wrong?"</p>
<p>Releasing a small sigh that turned into a relieved chuckle, Sasuke smiled up at Naruto, "Nothing." When the concern didn't leave Naruto's tanned face, Sasuke wet his lips, suddenly feeling nervous butterflies dance in his stomach. He couldn't resist the urge to raise his hand to caress one scarred cheek as he said, "Naruto, I-"</p>
<p>A loud cry that sounded almost like the bah of a sheep, followed by the steady '<em>SHHHHHHHHH'</em> of sand falling, stopped Sasuke in his tracks and pulled both males' attention to the marshy pool a few feet away from them.</p>
<p>Sasuke sat up just as the strange cry came again and he watched in amazement as the edge of the pool shuddered. He glanced at Naruto to see if they were in any danger, but the blond just placed his guitar to the side with a pleasant smile on his face and watched the pool.</p>
<p>What Sasuke had thought to be a layer of dust lining the edge of the pool turned out to be sand, deep sand that met with the murky waters to become a muddy paste. He watched as a lump of sand steadily rose before it began to move towards them as if a mole were tunneling underground. Just as it reached where solid land started, the lump stopped. Sasuke held his breath.</p>
<p>Then, out of the sand came the most terrifying creature Sasuke had ever seen in his entire life. It was only a little bigger than a common house cat, but as it clawed its way up onto dry land Sasuke could see that it was no cute and cuddly feline. Its fur was tan and oiled, matted down against its body in clumps; somehow the sand it had just emerged from just slid off of its pelt instead of sticking to the shiny mess. Black tipped its pointed ears and streaked across its face to encircle eyes that seemed to glow, giving it a criminal look. The worst part about it was the black lines that scattered like lightning bolts along its tanned fur, the black bolts glistening an eerie blue when the light hit it just right.</p>
<p>The cry came again and Sasuke suddenly realized that it was this creature who had made it. He shuddered when he realized that that innocent sound of a helpless sheep, that could often be mistaken for a baby's wails, had come from this monstrosity. This nightmarish creature looked anything but helpless.</p>
<p>"Gaara!" Naruto cried out in excitement and held his hands out to the <em>thing.</em></p>
<p>Sasuke watched as the 'Gaara' looked from him to Naruto before it seemed to come to a decision. With a sickeningly wet '<em>shlouup' </em>the oil on the creature's pelt seemed to be absorbed into its body before a soft '<em>puff' </em>filled the air as the thing was suddenly twice its original size, its fur having poofed out into feathery hairs that made its threat level drop from one hundred to zero in seconds. The ball of fluff then <em>pranced </em>(that was the only word Sasuke could think of describing the way it moved; he could barely see the thing's stout legs, but the creature was definitely prancing vs scurrying) over to Naruto's awaiting arms.</p>
<p>Naruto buried his face in soft fur before turning to Sasuke with a smile. "This is Gaara," he explained, "He's a tanuki. Well, a sand tanuki. See, see, regular tanuki don't have tails this long!" Naruto casually lifted up the bushy tail spanning the length of his arm before letting it drop into his lap again. "He uses it to help propel him through the sand. Cool right?"</p>
<p>Sasuke could only nod dumbly. He was pretty sure having a long tail wasn't what made this creature a resident of sand, because it looked almost like a racoon now that it was dry(?) and he knew for a fact that those things swam in trash, <em>not </em>sand.</p>
<p>They sat comfortably for a while; Sasuke content with watching Naruto play with his little rodent friend, listening to Gaara make that strange bahing (barking?) sound and Naruto imitating him in reply. Sasuke was so relaxed that he jumped when Naruto shouted next to him.</p>
<p>"Oh yeah!" Naruto's yell echoed through the forest, startling some nearby birds. Gaara huffed in annoyance, and Sasuke could swear he saw the tanuki roll his eyes because apparently it was so used to Naruto's sudden outbursts. Placing Gaara on the ground, Naruto scrambled to his feet before pivoting to face the stunned Sasuke, a goofy smile on his face. "I have something for you." When Sasuke raised an eyebrow and moved to get up, Naruto held up his hands to stop him, "Stay right here. I'll be right back!" And then he was gone.</p>
<p>Leaning back against the fallen log he and Naruto had been sharing as a backrest, Sasuke shook his head in exasperation, a fond smile adorning his lips. He glanced over to the tanuki, who was looking like an annoyed cat who had just lost its warm lap, and said, "Well, it's nice to know he hasn't changed much."</p>
<p>Gaara just looked at him a moment then licked his clawed paw. Sasuke shrugged and laid his head back on the log, closing his eyes and taking in the sounds of the forest.</p>
<p>It wasn't two minutes later when he felt something touch his leg, making his eyes snap open as he jerked away. He relaxed when he noticed it was just Gaara and he patted his lap in acceptance. The tanuki quickly scurried on and got comfortable. Sasuke smiled and gingerly moved his hand to pet along the creature's back, making sure to move slowly so he wouldn't get bit in case Gaara didn't want to be touched. Gaara seemed to ignore his pets, so with a sigh Sasuke started up a steady rhythm.</p>
<p>"You're pretty soft," Sasuke murmured. "I can see why Naruto was snuggling you so much." He was surprised to see bright turquoise eyes peering out of the black mask. The eyes held a knowing intelligence he had only seen in creatures of the Enchanted Forest. A small smile came to Sasuke's lips, "Can I tell you a secret?" Gaara's ears twitched. "I'm going to take Naruto with me."</p>
<p>Sasuke didn't get a reply, not that he was expecting one, but he continued to stare into Gaara's captivating eyes nonetheless as his hand kept up a gentle stroke along the tanuki's spine. He let out a slow breath, feeling his body relax completely. It felt nice to finally know what he wanted. To know what he had been <em>needing </em>for all these years. The knowledge that that was finally within his grasp set his mind at rest and warmed his soul. Kind of the way he felt whenever Naruto smiled, Sasuke mused.</p>
<p>Sasuke blinked, Gaara's fathomless eyes momentarily lost before being recaptured. For some reason his eyes felt a little heavy. Sasuke didn't know why he was so tired; it must have been from all that they had done that day, or all that they had not done...lying around makes a person lose energy, gets them too relaxed... No, it had to be the day...it was already getting dark, after all... It was such a shame, he'd have to get N…</p>
<p>Shouting made Sasuke's eyes open with a strangled gasp. He couldn't breathe. Why couldn't he breathe? His hands came to his throat to find it encircled with sand, compact and <em>moving </em>as it tightened its grip against his airway. Then suddenly it began to slowly fall away from him, running along his chest and stomach, and he could breathe again. He took in deep choking breaths and he coughed to clear his aching throat, his eyes stinging with unshed tears.</p>
<p>The yelling had turned to angry barking, growling, and yipping, and it didn't take long for Sasuke to realize that Naruto had returned and saved him from an untimely demise <em>again</em>. Naruto was crouching over him, his tails flared and his fangs bared as he snarled at Gaara who had scampered away to the edge of the sandy pool.</p>
<p>Sasuke missed the way Naruto's growls and barks came to a stuttering halt, confusion replacing his anger. He was too busy enjoying the breath of life, even though it was a bit painful, to notice the way Naruto glanced down at him in surprise, before returning his attention back on the angry tanuki. Sasuke barely heard Naruto's angrier animal snarls come back full force, but he did see the way Gaara hissed in indignation before he skittered back into the pool from whence he came.</p>
<p>Scalding hands were suddenly on his too cold cheeks, forcing his head to turn and focus on Naruto's concerned red eyes.</p>
<p>"Are you alright?" Naruto asked, his brows furrowed as he looked for further signs of damage. He was probably panting harder than Sasuke and his face was flushed red with anger, adrenaline, and fear.</p>
<p>Sasuke nodded, feeling warmth creeping back into his system at Naruto's concern. "Y-" he cleared his throat, cringing a little at the stinging sensation, "yes." His voice was raspy and Sasuke swallowed harshly against the blond's fingers as they trailed over his throat. Sasuke could feel where the sand had brushed against his skin, acting as sandpaper to tear at delicate flesh on its last ditch effort to strangle him, and he didn't doubt that there would be at least a little bruising.</p>
<p>They stared at each other for a moment before Naruto suddenly pulled away, leaving Sasuke feeling a bit disappointed for reasons he wasn't quite ready to look into yet. Sasuke frowned, put off by the blond's sudden shift in demeanor and opened his mouth to question him.</p>
<p>"I'm sorry," the words came out rushed, momentarily stunning the Uchiha out of whatever it was he may have been about to say. Naruto glanced at him, his almost shy countenance remaining and leaving the prince further confused. "For Gaara," Naruto continued, "I shouldn't have left you alone with him… He usually only hypnotizes- like- mice that he's planning on eating. I forgot that he has a temper sometimes."</p>
<p>'<em>Mice.' </em>Sasuke's eyebrow twitched. If <em>that </em>was a 'temper', then he was Gandhi. The little beast had tried to <em>murder </em>him, without cause he might add. However, that didn't explain the blond's odd behavior. Was Naruto afraid Sasuke was going to demand revenge? Sasuke frowned at that. It was true that they had been apart for many years, but did the other man think so little of him?</p>
<p>Naruto cleared his throat almost awkwardly before seeming to steel himself. "I hear congratulations are in order," he stated as he thrust a package that had previously been thrown aside against the Uchiha's chest, jarring him out of his downward spiraling thoughts.</p>
<p>Sasuke looked at the brown parsel in confusion. "Wha?" he replied with all the princlyness he could muster.</p>
<p>Naruto scratched the back of his head in embarrassment, a welcomed smile finally coming to his face as he took in the Uchiha's bewilderment. He watched as Sasuke gingerly unfolded the buckskin to reveal two delicate bottles of liquid, one larger than the other, both giving off a soft glow. "News is, that you're going to be an Uncle."</p>
<p>Let it be known that Sasuke had almost been strangled to death not more than five minutes prior, so when he looked at Naruto in stunned awe with something sounding like a startled whine escaping his lips, it was not his fault.</p>
<p>Naruto burst into a fit of laughter.</p>
<p>"That one," he said, pointing to the smaller of the two bottles once he had calmed down enough to form coherent sentences, "is for the mother. Give it to her when she goes into labor and it will ensure she and the baby are healthy." He paused for a moment as he watched the Uchiha stare in stunned silence at the little green bottle as if it would explode in his face.</p>
<p>"And that one," Naruto gestured to the larger with a grin, "is for your brother." At Sasuke's look of confusion Naruto moved closer as if to tell a secret, the Uchiha automatically doing the same as the forest seemed to grow hushed around them in anticipation. "It's Genma's special fairy wine, very potent, but it won't leave him with a hangover. It will calm his nerves." With that Naruto winked and stifled a giggle, leaning back as his job was done.</p>
<p>Sasuke stared at the two bottles for a few long moments, his mind trying to come to terms with their meaning before he finally looked up to lock eyes with the blond. "How?" is all he could say to the many questions he had.</p>
<p>The fox observed Sasuke silently, his gleaming red eyes dancing with unknown truths the likes of which Sasuke had only begun to discover. Naruto's eyes narrowed slightly before a small smirk pulled at the corner of his mouth, the smug amusement barely hidden. "It's not every day that a new prince is born, <em>Teme.</em>"</p>
<p>It seemed like an evasive answer, but the meaning was clear enough and it still made Sasuke feel like he had been punched in the gut. "How did you-?" he began, his mouth too dry for his own liking.</p>
<p>"Psh please," Naruto rolled his eyes, before raising a challenging eyebrow at the other man. "<em>Uchiha</em> Sasuke, the second son of the Land of Fire's royal family. Child of King Fugaku and Queen Mikoto, and brother to crown prince and soon to be king, Itachi. Did you really think I wouldn't find out who you were?" His smirk had grown, triumphant and bright, the sight of it easing the Uchiha's tension slightly.</p>
<p>Sasuke's eyebrows furrowed, "How long have you known?"</p>
<p>Naruto shrugged, "Almost since we met. I knew I had recognized your last name when you had told me, and after you had left that first time I reread my books about the Fire Kingdom because I knew you were from there, and I found your surname mentioned." Naruto finally averted his gaze as a blush tinged his cheeks. He released an embarrassed little laugh, "I, uh, ended up getting more books that year that had more detailed descriptions about your family, and you kind of became my obsession for a while."</p>
<p>"Just for 'a while'?" Sasuke smirked in smug amusement, his unease leaving him completely at the blond's enthusiasm. What had he been so worried about? It wasn't like his status would affect his relationship with the other man (well...anymore than it already had).</p>
<p>Naruto's blush deepened, and he scowled to hide his embarrassment. "Hey, it's not my fault you left. You were my best friend and I missed you. Besides, I felt closer to you by reading those books and learning about your kingdom."</p>
<p>Sasuke felt his heart clench at Naruto's words, knowing that it had hurt Naruto just as much, if not more, than it did him to separate each summer. "I missed you too," he said quietly. Warmth flooded his system as the blond man beamed at him, brighter than any sun, and Sasuke squeezed the bottles against his chest. "Thank you," he mumbled, equally soft but no less sincere. Leave it to Naruto to give such a thoughtful gift when Sasuke gave him nothing in return.</p>
<hr/>
<p>"Come with me." The words were out of Sasuke's mouth before he could stop himself. It was as if they had a will of their own, alive and fighting to burst out of his very being.</p>
<p>It was their fifth day together and the knowledge that their time was once again coming to an end was beginning to feel daunting. That wasn't to say the Uchiha prince wasn't enjoying himself- in fact he couldn't remember feeling this content in a long time- or that he was dreading the loss of this rare feeling and was now refusing to let it go- though that wasn't far from the truth no matter how selfish it was. No, Sasuke had been thinking long and hard about this over the last few days, since his close encounter with death thanks to the rodent from hell, and he had decided he simply couldn't live without his best friend. It was true that his initial epiphany had come from wanting to keep the other man safe, but the more time he spent with him, the more he <em>remembered, </em>the more Sasuke came to realize that he needed Naruto just as much as Naruto may need him. Naruto had been his light in the darkness for more years than Sasuke could count and he wasn't ready to return.</p>
<p>Naruto's fingers stilled on the guitar strings and he looked down at Sasuke in confusion. "What?"</p>
<p>"Come with me," Sasuke repeated with more confidence as the idea took root in his mind. He sat up and turned to face the still confused looking fox. "Come back with me, to my home." At Naruto's hesitant look Sasuke rushed to continue, "You could live with me. I want you to live with me."</p>
<p>As he watched the fox blink his wide red eyes in surprise, Sasuke could feel his excitement about the very idea of Naruto being with him forever grow. Why hadn't he thought of asking Naruto before?! It had always hurt so much to leave Naruto in the past and Sasuke couldn't bear to leave him again. This way they could always be together and be happy. Not to mention Sasuke could prove to everyone that he wasn't crazy, but that was beside the point. Sasuke could protect Naruto for a change. Give him a gift that he had never been able to return in the past.</p>
<p>He allowed his eyes to drift over Naruto's fierce, yet gentle features, now completely open as he stared at the Uchiha in stunned silence, and knew that he would say yes.</p>
<p>Red eyes drifted away from deep brown as Naruto looked away-his gaze distant, focused on the surrounding forest, seeing everything and yet nothing at all. He drew in a sharp breath as if to say something, his eyes skimming along the treeline as if reading the lines of a story, before he exhaled slow and steady, silent. His free hand fiddled with the pendent hanging around his neck- a habit that he had not broken since childhood-, while his other lay draped lifelessly against the guitar that lay forgotten in his lap. "I can't," he finally said, his voice distant.</p>
<p>If you had told the Uchiha that he had been slapped in the face at that moment, then he wouldn't have argued with you, the reply felt like a physical blow to his very being and left him breathless and a bit dizzy. "What?" the word came out low-cracked- wretched from his broken body and soul. How could Naruto reject him after they had been apart for so long? It just didn't make sense. He was supposed to say <em>yes, </em>he was supposed to be <em>happy, they </em>were supposed to be happy. This wasn't- they weren't-</p>
<p>"I can't leave the forest. It's not safe," Naruto said, interrupting Sasuke's internal panic attack. His fidgeting fingers clasped tightly around the blue crystal at his neck when he glanced at the Uchiha, his brows furrowing for the first time as he took in the broken features of his best friend. It was only seconds before he looked away again, the crease between his brow deepening and his knuckles bleaching white around his pendent.</p>
<p>"I'll protect you-" Sasuke began, a last ditch effort as hope tried to bloom in his chest again.</p>
<p>"I'm sure your brother wouldn't appreciate you bringing a monster to his coronation either," Naruto said with a small, if not bitter, smile trying to lighten the mood.</p>
<p>Sasuke scowled, anger suddenly washing away his hurt, "You're not a <em>monster,</em> and I don't care what my brother thinks." His eyes narrowed when Naruto gave him a grateful smile. It was obvious the blond didn't believe anything coming out of his mouth and that the stubborn blond wasn't going to change his mind anytime soon.</p>
<p>"Tch," Sasuke looked away in disappointed annoyance. He'd just have to work harder to try to convince his idiot friend.</p>
<hr/>
<p>"What's wrong, Kit?" Genma asked as soon as the blond haired male slumped into their little home through the front door.</p>
<p>Naruto released a long sigh and dropped face first on the green couch. His tails flopped for a moment across his back and legs before they came to a standstill, blanketing him in their soft orange fur. "Nothing," Naruto's muffled voice answered from the couch cushions.</p>
<p>Genma and Raidou shared a look. Raidou raised an eyebrow and put down his playing cards. "Is that why you're trying to suffocate yourself?"</p>
<p>"M'not," Naruto grumbled and shifted his face so his cheek was resting on the cushion instead of his nose. He eyed the fairies that were apparently playing some sort of card game in one of the many hollows in the wall across from the couch. '<em>Hn, that looks all cozy and fun… I wish I could be doing that with Sasuke right now.' </em>At that thought, an un-welcomed groan escaped Naruto's lips and he closed his eyes against the worried looks of his guardians. "'M just tired," he mumbled as he returned his face back to the safe confines of the cushions.</p>
<p>Their game completely forgotten, the two fairies shared another worried look before they took off into the air in search of Iruka. Luckily they didn't have to look far; the green fairy was in the back garden urging his vegetables to grow out of season under the full moon's glowing rays.</p>
<p>"RuRu, something's wrong with Kit," Genma stated once he and Raidou reached Iruka.</p>
<p>Iruka's eye twitched in irritation, "Genma, how many times do I have to tell you not to call me that? And what do you mean something's wrong with Naruto? Please don't tell me he rolled in the poison ivy again."</p>
<p>Genma started snickering at the memory of the little hairball covered in an itchy rash from head to toe for the first time. Naruto had rolled around in the mud trying to relieve the itch. It was hilarious.</p>
<p>Raidou rolled his eyes at the red fairy's stupidity and pushed him out of the way. "He's depressed or something. He's all mopey and won't stop sighing."</p>
<p>Genma grabbed Iruka by the shoulders and started shaking him like a ragdoll. "Do something! Fix him! Fix our little ball of sunshine!"</p>
<p>Iruka threw up his arms, dislodging the red menace from his person, before he rubbed his chin and thought for a moment. "Naruto has been acting a little strange for a while now," he finally said. "He's been having mood swings. At first I thought it was puberty, but he's grown out of that by now." A worried look came over the green fairy's face and he hesitated a moment before speaking, "Do you think…Do you think that he's getting his memories back?"</p>
<p>"But it's been almost fourteen years," Genma frowned, as he fluttered down to sit on a broad-leafed plant. "Why would he be getting his memories back now?"</p>
<p>"<em>Can</em> he get his memories back?" Raidou asked, his arms crossed in thought. "Even though it's been so long, the toad is still the most powerful wizard I know of-"</p>
<p>"I'm telling him you said that!"</p>
<p>"Tsk, shut up Genma. Anyway, did Jiraiya <em>seal</em> his memories or <em>take</em> them?" Raidou finished, tilting his head in contemplation.</p>
<p>Iruka shrugged, the look of worry not leaving his face as the crease between his brows deepend. "And what kind of repercussions would Naruto face by getting his memories back before his curse was broken?"</p>
<p>The three fairies looked at each other wishing they had some answers. Unfortunately, they would still have to wait a few more months for Jiraiya to make his yearly visit to check up on the blond and give his report on his findings. Every year it had been the same, Jiraiya hadn't found a way to break the curse (not that he didn't try each visit), but hopefully this year would be different.</p>
<p>Iruka sighed, "We'll just have to keep a closer eye on him. Try to lift his spirits. He's Naruto, he finds joy in simple pleasures, so it shouldn't be that hard."</p>
<p>Nodding in agreement, the three fairies flew off with the goal of brightening the mood of their little kit.</p>
<hr/>
<p>"Sasuke, get up."</p>
<p>The words were neither harsh nor soft, but still an order and Sasuke groaned, squeezing his eyes shut tighter in an attempt to ignore the disruption to his rest. The poke to his ribcage was harder to ignore, causing him to grumble words that were truly unbecoming of both his royal status and Uchiha heritage, before he rolled over completely and fell back to sleep.</p>
<p>A pain only known by those young and rambunctious school children (or those with jerkface older brothers) shot through Sasuke's arm with the intensity of a thousand dying suns. Sasuke <em>shrieked</em>, his body twisting in the sheets in his attempts to free in aching appendage as his legs kicked out uselessly.</p>
<p>Itachi let go of his brother's arm and smirked down at the now fully awake and scowling man (whose bed-head was so bad it looked like some kind of rodent had taken up residence atop his head). "Time to get up little brother," he stated once more, the amusement clear in the deep tembre on his voice, "breakfast is getting cold."</p>
<p>Sasuke hissed like an angry cat as he watched <em>the man who would be king </em>saunter out of the room with a supreme air of triumph. He winced as he rubbed his arm, noticing the flushed pink burn marks left over from the 'Indian Burn' Itachi's devil fingers had made.</p>
<p>His frown deepened. '<em>Vengeance will be mine.'</em></p>
<p>…</p>
<p>Sasuke chewed his lukewarm eggs slowly as he eyed the servants around them. Usually his family was left in peace to dine with only one or two maids to fill their glasses or clear with dishes when necessary, but today the manor was bustling with activity. The lord of the manor was strangely absent as well. He glanced over to his father and then his mother, both of whom were intently focused on their meals, their knives and forks quietly squeaking against their plates. His eyes then traveled to Itachi, who was in the middle of sipping from a goblet of milk. Their eyes met over the rim and Sasuke could see a slight stutter in his brother's actions before he resumed his drink.</p>
<p>Sasuke's eyes narrowed.</p>
<p>"What's going on?"</p>
<p>Whatever little noise there had been abruptly stopped as the room fell into silence.</p>
<p>Itachi lowered his goblet to the table, his movements slow and graceful as ever as he grabbed a napkin to dab at his unblemished lips. In a sudden move he shifted to stand, "I'll just-"</p>
<p>"Sasuke, how's your foo-" their mother said at the same time.</p>
<p>"<em>Stop.</em>" Sasuke's voice was hard, that of a true Uchiha prince, his eyes even harder, and his family paused where they were. He glared at each of them, his temper now risen and his senses on high alert. "<em>What is happening?" </em>he demanded once again.</p>
<p>It was Uchiha Fugaku that finally broke, with a sigh the man put down his utensils and focused on his youngest son with a steady look. "We're leaving."</p>
<p>"Wha-?" Sasuke began, his eyes widening as the implications hit him.</p>
<p>"After breakfast," Fugaku continued, his voice now stern now that his wife had gripped his hand in emotional support. Sasuke opened his mouth to protest, but his father raised his hand to cut him off once more. "Enough. It's been decided." He pursed his lips for a moment as if holding back his next words before they burst forth anyway, "We've had enough of this foolishness. It's clear now that this trip was too soon and we must make haste for home at once."</p>
<p>The unsaid words were loud as if they had been shouted through the room. <em>Your </em>foolishness<em>, </em>too soon for <em>you. </em>Sasuke's throat constricted, it was as if the sands of Gaara's temper were gripping him again as he took in shallow breaths. His eyes darted from one family member to another, even as they felt the telltale sting-a feeling he hadn't felt in a long, long time-, searching for some form of deception or at least an ally amongst the small group. All he found were serious faces, resolute if not a little sad in their acceptance and Sasuke knew that he had messed up <em>again.</em></p>
<p>The heavy mahogany chair slammed into the ground with a thud, startling a surprised call of Sasuke's name from his mother, but the Uchiha prince was already out the door.</p>
<p>Sasuke's lungs heaved as he sprinted down the hallway. He had to leave, he couldn't allow this to happen <em>again</em>. He had been so stupid in the past, stupid now. Of course his family would notice his absence. But, he had to get Naruto, had to tell him-</p>
<p>His feet skid to a halt at the open front door. Just beyond the threshold stood a carriage, it's trunk laden high with luggage matching the attending caravan waiting in a neat line behind. In front of the carriage's open door were the King's highly trained burly looking guards, and they were looking straight at Sasuke.</p>
<hr/>
<p>Naruto's eyes glanced once again in the direction of the village, his foot not ceasing in its rapid staccato against the dense tree branch. <em>Where was he? </em>Sasuke should have been here by now, why wasn't he here yet?</p>
<p>Naruto bit his lip, his sharp fangs digging into the tender skin just close to painful as his eyebrows furrowed. His pointed ears strained in hopes of picking up on the telltale sign of his friend's approach. The forest remained peacefully quiet, with only the sound of birds and other small critters making their rounds in the cool mornings wake, before the summer's sun rose higher to bring predators to bask in its reys.</p>
<p>A light scrapping came to his ears and Naruto looked down to find that he had been unconsciously scratching at the tree's bark, his sharp claws gouging fine lines and they peeled up curling streams of wood. He tsk'd and shook out his hand, dislodging and remaining pieces of bark from beneath his claws.</p>
<p>A sigh escaped the blond fox as he stared absently at his claw tipped fingers, thoughts of the day before playing once again on repeat in his troubled mind. He could still picture so clearly Sasuke's face when he denied him; that look of confusion, shock, <em>hurt. </em>Naruto never wanted to see him like that. But, all three fairies had stated time and time again throughout Naruto's life that leaving the forest was the most dangerous thing he could do (well, that and talking to humans, but Naruto saw that as more of a guideline than a rule). So, even though he would love to go with Sasuke, Naruto had to trust in his fairy guardian's warnings and not leave the forest. If leaving the forest brought danger upon him, then it would most likely mean danger for Sasuke too and Naruto couldn't allow that. Besides, what good would a monster be to a prince?</p>
<p>A bitter smile came to Naruto's lips at that last thought, the tightening in his chest familiar and yet not wholly unpleasant whenever he thought of the Uchiha prince. His eyes widened in realization. Had he made Sasuke mad? Would the raven-haired man never forgive him for turning down his request?</p>
<p>Did Sasuke hate him now?</p>
<p><em>That </em>thought definitely hurt Naruto's chest, and he found himself leaping from the tree and heading toward the village. His feet were fast-silent- as they moved through the underbrush, his knees bent and his body low for maximum speed, his tails flared behind him- the only sign of his unease.</p>
<p>The little house that stood on the outskirts of the village, pushed up against the treeline of the Enchanted Forest, was clearly poorer than the rest, the little fence surrounding it penning in its single goat was on the verge of falling down and it was clear that the house got <em>very </em>cold in the winter. However, no one was in sight when Naruto reached the shadows of the trees lining the property, and his keen senses confirmed that the house was empty.</p>
<p>Naruto eyed the goat as he tore the brown cloak off of its flimsy laundry line. "I'll bring it back," he promised as he threw it over his shoulders. The goat didn't seem to believe him. The cloak was big, large enough to wrap around his whole body if he pressed his tails flat against his back, and long enough if he crouched a little. He realized that he looked like one of those old hunchbacked croans from the fairy tales he used to read when he was younger, the ones that were always something more in disguise. '<em>Ironic,' </em>he thought. All and all it would work.</p>
<p>"I promise," Naruto said again as he pulled the hood low over his face so his eyes were hidden from view. He frowned when the goat just turned away to continue eating.</p>
<p>His heart was beating fast as he made his way into what must have been the middle of the village. The noises and the smell of the bustling streets were nearly overwhelming, but at the same time exciting to the point that Naruto wanted to throw off his cloak and join in the festivities. Everyone ignored him, going about their morning business in a way that reminded Naruto of the forest- little birds hopping excitedly from branch to branch, squirrels playing tag, deer moving gracefully down the path, predators lurking in the shadows.</p>
<p>A disturbance brought his attention a little further up the road, and then the word 'King' slipped through the crowd and Naruto hastened his steps. A carriage rumbled by as he was about to cross another road, its rider calling out a warning less he be trampled to death, before more followed. Beautiful carriages, one after another, all laden with baggage and a few elegantly dressed people made their way down the road heading out of the village. Naruto's sharp eyes took in them all, all the fine lace curtains and gold trim and intricate wooden carvings- his breath unusually shallow and his throat tight. And <em>there</em>, in that window, dark eyes- almost black- surrounded by porcelain white skin and again by raven black hair, a familiar face. Eyes, so familiar that Naruto could have sworn he had been dreaming about them for years, met with red for a fraction of a second before moving to the rest of the crowd. And then he was gone.</p>
<p>And Naruto was alone.</p>
<hr/>
<p> </p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>A.N.- Gah! I know... The next chapter will be the last. Please let me know what you think and I'll see you next week!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. And True Love...</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Coronation time and Sasuke isn't so happy.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>A.N.- Hello and welcome to the end! Big thanks to my besty Sayori_Echo for betaing this and helping me finish this particular chapter (I was really struggling with a particular part). Also thank you to all who've commented, it's nice to see that this fic is enjoyable to people other than just me lol. And finally thank you to Masashi Kishimoto for creating such likable characters!</p>
<p>Please R&amp;R and enjoy!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p> </p>
<hr/>
<p>"Time slows down whenever you're around</p>
<p>But can you feel this magic in the air?</p>
<p>It must have been the way you kissed me</p>
<p>Fell in love when I saw you standing there</p>
<p>It must have been the way</p>
<p>Today was a fairytale</p>
<p>It must have been the way</p>
<p>Today was a fairytale" -Today was a Fairytale by Talor Swift</p>
<p>A Very Foxy Fairytale</p>
<p>4. And True Love...</p>
<p>Naruto's lungs burned as he ran as fast as he could along the forest floor. He took a sharp turn, his bare feet skidding on the loose earth before he kicked off a tree propelling him in his new direction, not breaking his quick pace through the woods. Coming upon a fallen tree, Naruto sprung into the air with a strong jump and soared over it. His hand grabbed onto a narrow branch above his head, using it to help swing his body farther past the large log, his claws leaving large gashes in their wake. Landing with a soft thump, Naruto continued onward.</p>
<p>He had no destination in mind, but the slight burn in his body that accompanied the adrenaline running through his veins was making him feel better than he had felt in the past week. One week, and all Naruto felt was hollow. One week, since Sasuke had left- <em>left him</em>.</p>
<p>It had always hurt when the human had left before, especially when Naruto had first realized all those years ago that Sasuke wasn't coming back, but for some reason this time the pain was so much worse.</p>
<p>Naruto had felt his bond with the Uchiha prince change from what it had been from as children to something else, something stronger. He still enjoyed his company like he had when they were younger, but it was less innocent as it once had been. Sasuke's presence had stirred feelings in Naruto that he hadn't felt before, and Naruto didn't want to let those feelings go. It didn't matter now though, because Sasuke was gone.</p>
<p>Naruto grit his teeth and ran faster, the thoughts of their last meeting playing in his head like clockwork. The knowledge that he had let down his friend to the point of abandonment- Sasuke <em>broke their promise </em>because Naruto was too scared and too stubborn and he had hurt Sasuke and Sasuke hated him for it- His claws bit into his palms until they bled, shattering those crippling thoughts before they could go further. Naruto took a shuddering breath and ran on.</p>
<p>An hour later, Naruto was drinking from a small stream as he caught his breath. He had run farther than he had originally intended and he would be lucky if he made it home by nightfall if he walked back at a quick pace. Not that it really mattered what time he got back home. Naruto was full grown and could take care of himself, but he had left his shirt behind and the cool August air was starting to chill his sweat coated skin. He was lucky that there was no breeze whatsoever today to sting his bare skin. It was amazing that just a week before the weather had been warm enough to swim in the forest's river with Sasuke.</p>
<p>Naruto sighed and stretched his muscles before he turned and began to make his way home.</p>
<p>He paused when an unusual noise met his ears. Naruto cocked his head to the side, his pointed ear twitched as it strained to hear the distant sound. His eyebrows furrowed when he realized that what he was hearing sounded like someone crying. Not the whimpering of a hurt animal, or the tiny voice of an upset fairy, but the cries of a scared child. A human child.</p>
<p>Naruto turned northeast and headed toward the child's cries.</p>
<p>It didn't take Naruto long to find the clearing along the Eastern border of the Enchanted Forest that was neighboring the Land of Fire. Naruto kept himself hidden in the trees, knowing that the clearing was too open and too close to the border for him to show himself. He had been lucky to escape notice with his stupid stunt into the village a week prior, but he may not be so lucky again. He crouched on a wide branch and peered through the thick foliage at the figured kneeling near the center of the small field of wildflowers.</p>
<p>It was obvious from the child's dark long hair hanging around her shoulders that she was a girl. She wore a white dress, decorated with purple flowers. From Naruto's vantage point, he could tell that she was leaning over her bent legs. Her hands wrapped around her stomach and her head nearly touching her knees as her shoulders shook with the strength of her tears.</p>
<p>Naruto bit his lip, his heart clenching at the sight of the most likely lost and scared girl in front of him. The best case scenario was that she had just been separated from her traveling companions. The worst was that they had been killed while traveling through the forest and had left her orphaned and prey to whatever predator would happen to come across her.</p>
<p>Taking a deep breath through his nose Naruto tested the air for any other humans. He was still reluctant to show himself, especially this close to the border, and didn't want to risk being seen by some villagers that would get it in their heads to try to hunt him down. Only smelling the scent of the child and the surrounding blooming flowers that almost covered the girls scent with their strong aroma, Naruto released his breath through his mouth and silently climbed down the tree.</p>
<p>Just before he stepped out of the cover of the trees, Naruto's sharp eyes peered around the clearing. Trees surrounded the whole area and he couldn't see any unusual movement. His eyes went back to the crying girl and he licked his lips once more in hesitation. This wasn't like saving Sasuke all those years ago. He hadn't had a choice back then because Sasuke would have died otherwise. Besides, he had been much deeper in the forest back then. Not to mention the fact that Naruto had been much more reckless as a child.</p>
<p>Taking a deep breath, Naruto took a step into the clearing and slowly crept his way toward the little girl. His nose scrunched up as his bare feet moved through the flowers, spilling their pollen filled odor loose in the air to make his throat and eyes feel itchy. His tails batted the air, trying to move the pollen away from his person, but caused tiny tornadoes to form that quickly settled back into place once his tails ceased their movement. Naruto slowed his breathing to try to deter the tiny particles from reaching his airway. He knew they couldn't hurt him, but they were annoying nonetheless.</p>
<p>He stopped when he was only a few feet from the crying child. He frowned, looking down at her. "Hey," he called, "Are you alright?"</p>
<p>The girl continued to sob, unable to hear him through the volume of her wailing.</p>
<p>Naruto stepped forward more until he was right next to the brunet. He crouched down next to her and observed her shaking form for a moment, amazed that she still didn't seem to notice him. He carefully reached out a hand to rest on her trembling back. The girl froze under his touch and her sob caught in her throat. "Are you alright?" Naruto asked again. "Are you lost?"</p>
<p>Naruto watched as the little girl slowly uncurled herself from her hunched position and hesitantly turned her head towards him. Her hair was covering most of her face since she was still leaning forward, but Naruto could tell that she was looking at him. The small gasp that escaped her lips confirmed it.</p>
<p>"It's ok," Naruto quickly said, "I won't hurt you." He wasn't sure if it would assure the girl more to leave his hand where it was on her back or take it away and his fingers flexed in the thick fabric of her dress as he contemplated the movement. He tried to give her a reassuring smile, but felt her pull away with a small whimper at the sight of his large fangs. His smile dropped for a moment before he forced a small close mouthed smile that didn't reach his eyes.</p>
<p>A small breeze picked up, sweeping across the field to blow the girls hair even more into her face. Naruto stiffened. Among the scent of flowers and the surrounding trees, he could also smell the distinct scent of another human. His head snapped in the direction the breeze had come from allowing his sharp gaze to scan the forest.</p>
<p>Naruto felt the young girl shift next to him and then a sharp pain pierced his neck. His breath caught in his throat and he turned back to stare into the eyes of the little girl. Her eyes were a deep chocolate brown, large, innocent, and <em>dry</em>.</p>
<p>Naruto's eyebrows furrowed as he stared into the blank face of the beautiful child. He reached up a hand and pulled a long needle out of his neck. Looking from it, to the girl, and then back again, as his vision began to blur.</p>
<p>"Why?" Naruto asked right before he slumped over unconscious in a bed of flowers.</p>
<p>The child looked up from the unconscious monster when a man stepped out of the forest and approached them. The man carried a hunting knife in his hand and had a number of weapons strapped to his body. He stopped when he was next to the pair on the ground.</p>
<p>With caution, the man held his blade to the monster's neck with one hand while the other gingerly pried a red eye open. The man grunted in satisfaction and put his knife away. He then opened the creature's mouth and checked out his teeth. Once done, he moved to the claws, dragging a strap of leather over them to see how sharp they were. The leather was cut. Next he moved to the tails. At first he had thought that the male had simply tied pelts to his waist, but after observing him, he had discovered that they moved on their own. The man grabbed the base of the tails, feeling their thickness, and pulled hard enough to force the beast's hips off the ground. "Hmmm," he stroked the tails, surprised at their silky texture.</p>
<p>"Did I do well Zabuza?" the child asked with hopeful eyes.</p>
<p>Zabuza turned and looked at his young ward. "Yes, Haku, you did very well." He smiled as the little boy beamed at him.</p>
<hr/>
<p>"Your Majesties…"</p>
<p>"Stop that," his mother's words were just barely audible, the smile never leaving her face as she gazed over the assembled crowd of nobles and other visiting dignitaries.</p>
<p>Sasuke's scowl deepened and he gave one final tug (for good measure) at the cravat around his throat. He swore the thick white cloth was trying to strangle him to deathー it had been no surprise that he had developed an extreme dislike of things touching his neck, the mild anxiety every time something brushed against the now completely healed skin was forced down into the pit of Sasuke's stomach where it could die a fiery death. Releasing a calming breath, he then ran his hands roughly down his matching white dress shirt and vest before tugging at the sides of his navy blue long coat. Really, the dress coat was the only thing Sasuke considered even a little bit bearableー its deep blue spoke of days splashing through cool deep waters, and the gold embroidered flames licking along the cuffs and up the lapel to wrap around the high collar reminded the prince of windswept locks glowing in the warm sunshine. But even that thought brought a taste of bitternessー <em>resentment</em>ー to his tongue and he ground his teeth, bringing his clenched fists stiffly to his sides.</p>
<p>"My name is Zabuza..."</p>
<p>Ignoring his mother's hum of satisfaction, Sasuke allowed his eyes to travel the great hall. His eyes fell on his father who was in a deep conversation with a man with flowing white hair. If it wasn't for the fact that the man was built like a mountain, towering over the former king by at least a foot, then Sasuke would have paid him no mind. The two men stood close, their heads bowed toward one another as they shared in deep conversation that spoke of an old acquaintance that left Sasuke wondering of the strange man's identity. Even with all of their many years traveling throughout their kingdom, he hadn't seen his father converse with a hermit (socializing with the locals had always been his mother's thing). Sasuke's stomach rolled as that taste in his mouth turned sour and he had to look away from his father before his glare became noticeable. He hadn't spoken more than a few words to the man in almost a month.</p>
<p>"...and though I am just a lowly huntsman…"</p>
<p>Sasuke's gaze finally fell on his brother. Itachi was now sitting on the throneーgarbed in all black except for a regal red robe that billowed over his shoulders and spilled around his feet like a rippling pool of silken blood lined with rich black fursー a circlet of black gold sat on his brow, its likeness of black flames extending out of an oblong shaped ruby in the center of his forehead and wrapping around his head in a thin, but detailed ring. His brother had just been crowned the new king of the Fire Kingdom and as he looked over his people, with his queen at his side, he looked every bit the part.</p>
<p>The last month had been difficult… But Sasuke had decided that he would at least stay until his brother's coronation, and now that he had… Sasuke released a shuddering breath. He sought comfort in the small part of him that still felt the urge to stick out his tongue in a childish display of sibling rivalry (not that he was bitter that he wasn't on the throne, it was just the principle of the matter).</p>
<p>"I have ventured far and wide to bring you the most sought after treasure."</p>
<p>Sasuke watched the way his brother almost absently dipped his head in greetings to a man in long purple robes lined with silvers and blacks, his midnight black hair pulled back in a loose ponytail the way that Neji had worn his hair back at the academy. The man's skin was almost sickly pale, with a green/grey tint that lacked any of the luster that the Uchiha pallor was known for and he held his hand out to the queen in an awkward feminine way, letting his bony fingers dangle almost lifelessly as he asked to kiss her hand.</p>
<p>It was hard to miss the Lord of the Land of Wind, Prince Consort Orochimaru, who was acting as King Regent until his child, Prince Kabuto, came of age in a few years. Sasuke had always found him to be a slimy character and had avoided interacting with him over his early years even as his parents tried to keep up ties because of past friendships with that kingdom. He had never met the son, but he had to assume he was the same kind of decrepit creature as his father. He shuddered and looked away, finding no interest in that man or anything having to do with his sand ridden kingdom.</p>
<p>"Tales have told of a monstrous beast…"</p>
<p>He watched as his sister-in-law gracefully pulled her hand away from the other dignitary, a pleasantーthough clearly strainedー smile on her face, and placed her hand on her swollen belly. Sasuke's nephew or niece lay in there, the future of their kingdom, due in only a few weeks' time. Maybe he could come back for…? '<em>No,' </em>Sasuke forced himself to close his eyes, blocking out any betraying thoughts. He'd made his choice and so had they.</p>
<p>"...that has plagued our borders for years."</p>
<p>Sasuke was brought out of his musing by the sudden influx of volume as the great hall's inhabitants began chattering excitedly. His attention fell on a man standing toward the front of the assembly who had apparently gained everyone's attention. Beside him stood a childー a girl, maybe ten years old?ー both looking anything but extraordinary in their worn traveling clothes and mud laiden boots. Behind them stood a large four wheeled cart with a drape thrown over the top to hide whatever was underneath. The edges of the drape were sharp, the top flat, suggesting some sort of big box, its content a mystery.</p>
<p>"Behold!"</p>
<p>The room surged, like a wave lapping the distant seashore, as everyone leaned forward in anticipation. With a flourish the man, Zabuza, pulled the drape from the cart and Sasuke felt his blood run cold.</p>
<p>The collective gasp was nearly drowned out by the youngest Uchiha prince's scream.</p>
<p>"No!"</p>
<p>No one noticed that two other men- one with black hair, one with white- lurching forward at the same time before stopping themselves and hanging back to observe. All eyes were focused on Sasuke as he ran, eyes blazing with panic, to the cage that held the beast.</p>
<p>Sasuke all but slammed into the bars in his haste to get to his friend, because there he wasー Narutoー not some <em>beast</em>, but the one person Sasuke couldn't get out of his head and out of his heart.</p>
<p>"<em>Naruto</em>," Sasuke's voice came out a hoarse cry, low and barely gasping past his suddenly tight throat. His hands passed through the cold thick bars to brush against sun-kissed skin that seemed to burn at his touch, sending a wave of warmth up his arm from the tips of his fingers all the way to the pit of his stomach where it pooled there like liquid sunlight. Relief rushed through him, a feeling that Sasuke knew he shouldn't be feeling given the circumstances, but he felt all the same, because Naruto was <em>here.</em> Here, with Sasuke. Here to fill that hole that had been empty for far too long.</p>
<p>But alas, that warmth, and contentment, and <em>relief </em>could only last for so long. It was just a fleeting moment before Sasuke's senses came back to him along with a flooding dread as he gently brushed his fingers through golden locks. He absently noticed the dirt and greasy texture to the normally freshly kempt hair (for a man that lived in the forest, Naruto had always known how to stay hygienic), but he ignored it in favor of frowning at the man's unconscious face.</p>
<p>"Naruto," his voice was bolder this timeーa commandーbut still too quiet for anyone else in the room to hear, as if his friend's name was a secret meant just for the two of them. Hope bloomed in Sasuke's chest when Naruto's eyebrows furrowed in his sleep. Peach flower lips pursed in a pout, and finally Naruto's eyelids opened into blurred slits.</p>
<p>Sasuke couldn't say what happened next.</p>
<p>The cacophony of noise that overtook the great hall was almost deafening. Shrieks of terror, cries, yells, gasps, all overlapped by the snapping and snarling and <em>growling </em>that came from Naruto as he came fully awake in an instant. His blood-red eyes blazed with full blown panicー matching those of his spectatorsー as he looked around wildly, his limbs smashing against every corner of the cage in his desperate attempt to escape. The metal bars rang a sharp melody throughout the hall as his body hit again and again, as his claws raked at them over and over, but to no avail. His tails, which had previously been spread beneath him like a lush blanket now flared to life, spilling out of the cage as they fanned and flailed about his person.</p>
<p>"Naruto!" Sasuke called again, the desperation clear in his voice. He took a deep gasping breath and had to force himself to swallow past the lump in his throat. His eyes stung. "Naruto," he called again when his friend showed no sign of hearing him. "<em>Baka</em>," there was definitely a sob on his voice now, but Sasuke ignored it as he reached forward and grabbed one of Naruto's tails.</p>
<p>It had the effect Sasuke wanted. Naruto spun aroundー a snarl on his lips, his pupils shrunk down to impossibly small slits as they focussed on Sasuke in preparation to attackー and Sasuke just stood there, with his arm still in the cage and breathed a sigh of relief.</p>
<p>"Sasuke!" It was his brother's voice and Sasuke could already hear the footsteps of the palace guards approaching.</p>
<p>"No." His voice finally came out stronger this time, an order loud enough for his brother and those around them to hear because Naruto's face had already lost its snarl.</p>
<p>"Sasuke?" The combination of too much sleep and intense growling had made Naruto's throat raw, but the hint of insecurity, confusion, and fear were plain in that one word and sounded entirely unlike the confident blond man that Sasuke knew. It was like all the fight had left him as Naruto slumped against the wall of the cage closest to Sasuke (though the Uchiha knew from experience that the fox was still on high alert for any sudden movement).</p>
<p>Sasuke allowed himself a moment to squeeze Naruto's hand, the gesture meant to reassure them both. "It will be alright," he said. He tried to hold eye contact for as long as he could, to show his friend all the confidence he could without displaying any of the fear that was mirrored in Naruto's eyes. At Naruto's trusting nodー<em>trusting, </em>Naruto had always been far too trusting for his own good and Sasuke didn't deserve his friendshipー Sasuke took a calming breath and turned to the man, Zabuza.</p>
<p>"Release him." His command silenced the room as much as it rose the volume in protests. Zabuza just looked at him dumbstruck.</p>
<p>"Sasuke," it was Itachi, "what is the meaning of this?" He had risen from his throne and descended the dias at some point and it was clear from the tone of his voice that he would accept nothing but the truth.</p>
<p>"Nii-san," Sasuke watched as his brother's eyes widened slightly at the term of endearment that he hadn't used for years, "It's <em>Naruto.</em>" That should have been enough. Shouldn't that have been enough? Sasuke's eyes danced between his brother and his parents, who stood off to the side looking concerned and afraid, and saw no recognition in their eyes. He took a shuddering breath, because <em>of course </em>they wouldn't know. Why should they remember when even he hadn't? The squeeze to his hand brought his attention back to what was important and his eyes met with sunset red. "He's my friend."</p>
<p>Itachi observed his brother for a moment. Then he eyed the creature. All eyes focused on the king as he turned and relaxed back onto the throne before he waved his hand in a kingly manner at Zabuza, which had the man scrambling to get the keys to unlock the cage to everyone's amazement.</p>
<p>Sasuke couldn't help but hold his brother's eyes as the keys jingled and then clicked against the cage's lock, because he knew that this had been Itachi's moment. <em>This </em>had been the new king of the Fire Kingdom's chance to lay the groundwork for his future rule, and he had chosen Sasuke. It was true that the two brother's were not as close as they had once been, time apart and responsibility did that to everyone, but in the end they were still family. Sasuke knew that Itachi had seen his change over the years, had known what was coming after the coronation, and yet his <em>Nii-san </em>had made the choice to trust Sasuke (even though the young prince had once again done nothing to earn that trust) instead of giving into the fear of the unknown. It was a benevolence and understanding that was hard to come by in the world. Sasuke felt the weight of the entire kingdom on his shoulders then, not just the lives of his family— his parents, brother, sister-in-law, and their unborn child— and all the people present, but <em>everyone</em>, and he knew he couldn't let his brother down. With a slight nod of his head, Sasuke turned away from the new king and held out a hand to his best friend as the door of the cage swung open.</p>
<p>A pin could be dropped in the room and everyone would hear it as more than one person held their breaths, simultaneously pushing their bodies to the farthest reaches of the great hall and stretching their necks forward for a better view. Naruto's feet didn't make a sound as they touched the ground, but the way he gripped Sasuke's hand made the young prince grit his teeth and Sasuke didn't waste any time before pulling Naruto toward him to inspect him for injury. Murmurs spread throughout the crowd once again, but Sasuke paid them no mind as he ran his thumb along a cut down Naruto's left cheek that sliced through his whisker-like marks in a diagonal slit. His finger came away bloody, but he could already see the wound closing and he released a sigh of relief.</p>
<p>Naruto stood motionless in his arms, his eyes momentarily closed as he took in big gulps of air through his nose, but Sasuke could see the way his sharp ears twitched with any sound around them.</p>
<p>"It's ok now," Sasuke's voice came out a whisper and was rewarded by a slight upturn of Naruto's lips. That small smile meant everything to Sasuke. Nothing else mattered. There was nothing and no one but Naruto and that small smile, and Sasuke reveled in it.</p>
<p>Then Sasuke's little world was shattered in a heartbeat.</p>
<p>"This is unacceptable!" The shout rang throughout the great room, breaking whatever spell had fallen upon the assembled crowd in an instant. All eyes turned as one to Prince Consort Orochimaru as he stepped forward with his head held high. "Don't you see?" he continued as he swept a purple draped arm out with a dramatic <em>swish</em>, "That <em>thing</em> has captured the prince's mind with its evil magic. Kill it before it enslaves us all!"</p>
<p>The crowd surged again, the momentary calm it had found moments ago now lost in the Wind Lord's claim. Sasuke glared death at the pale skinned man and tightened his hold on Naruto even as he felt the blond stiffen in his arms. "You're wrong," Sasuke stated with all the force he could muster.</p>
<p>"<em>See?!</em>" Orochimaru continued, this time with both arms thrown out in a grand gesture. "The monster plays with his mind, has driven him mad!"</p>
<p>Sasuke saw red. Years of therapy, of begging and pleading-of forgetting- had all been for <em>nothing, </em>and yet all of his efforts lead to this moment. He was tired of it all. "I AM NOT CRAZY!" he shouted, his eyes blazing with fury.</p>
<p>"How would you even know?!" Orochimaru shot back before a menacing sneer came to his thin lips. "We've all heard the stories. You are an out of control child who had to be shipped off to boarding school for the good of the kingdom. Why would ANY of us ever trust you?!"</p>
<p>"You're out of line," Sasuke ground out through clenched teeth. Naruto released a rumbling growl as his lips pulled back into a snarl showing off his sharp teeth.</p>
<p>"Am I?" Orochimaru challenged, a manic light in his eyes as he pointed a spindly finger at Naruto. "You would defend this creature- put its safety over that of the humans in your own realm. Clearly you are unfit to make any decisions. You've just set a monster free in a room full of subjects. You should be banished after this thing is put to death!" He cast a critical eye toward Itachi as his voice took on a condescending lilt, "As any responsible king would ordain."</p>
<p>"Orochimaru!" All eyes moved to Itachi as the young king once again stood and raised his commanding voice, "These people are not your subjects to protect, and you will not speak for me."</p>
<p>Orochimaru ignored the warning in the king's voice. His face tightened at the lack of his official title and spittle flew from his lips as he responded in kind. "And what does a boy-king know of such matters?"</p>
<p>"Have a care, sir," Sasuke's menacing tone brought everyone's attention back on him, "You have no power here, and your friends are limited."</p>
<p>Sweat had gathered on his brow, and Orochimaru's golden eyes darted around the room like angry bees trapped in a hive. It was clear that the king stood strong with his brother and that nothing would be done about the newly freed creature. "Fine," he spat, "If you're not going to take responsibility for this monster then I will!" With a roar the Prince Consort charged forward, drawing his sword in an attempt to end the foul beast.</p>
<p>Someone screamed, footsteps thundered and armor rang as the palace guards went into action, and Sasuke moved. Orochimaru was fast, unusually so, and the fact that he had been standing unhindered only served him well, but Sasuke's adrenaline was running high and as he pushed Naruto behind him he knew that he would stop at nothing to protect the person he cared about most.</p>
<p>Orochimaru's sword came fast, a long black thing that reflected no light and instead seemed to dim the very air around it. His crazed gaze burned liquid gold, and Sasuke could only brace himself to feel the cold sting of Orochimaru's blade, hoping for a quick end that would mean Naruto's safety.</p>
<p>Another shout broke through Sasuke's defenses, this one much closer, and before he knew it he was being shoved out of the way. He stumbled and almost fell, his heart hammering wildly in his chest so loudly that it made his head ring. By the time he looked up it was too late, Orochimaru's blade had fallen, slashed down and across in a swift move that left a streak of blood splayed across the ground, and Naruto in front of him to block the blow that Sasuke had intended to take. Less than a second passed before Naruto released another scream, this one filled with more pain than fear, and his right arm swept up in a graceful arc as his sharp claws tore out the Wind Lord's throat.</p>
<p>Nobody spoke as Orochimaru dropped to the ground with a gurgling sound, nor while his sickly pale body spasmed before finally falling still. Even if they had, Sasuke wouldn't have heard or seen them. His mind was in a deep fog, his ears a high pitch whine that threatened nausea, and as always his eyes focused on the one person that mattered.</p>
<p>"N-" Sasuke's hands trembled as he reached out for his friend. Naruto turned from where he had been staring at the lifeless body of his wouldbe assassin to look at Sasuke with wide eyes. It was clear that he was shaking just as much as Sasuke as his breaths came out in quick pants against Sasuke's face.</p>
<p>"Are you-?" Sasuke couldn't bring himself to finish that sentence, his thoughts were too jumbled, and he looked down to see the large slash across Naruto's torso as he simultaneously took hold of Naruto's face for his own reassurance.</p>
<p>The cut looked deep, he noticed with a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach, spanning from the top corner of Naruto's right pec and ending above his left hip in a clean line that was already spilling blood down his bronze stomach.</p>
<p>Naruto's unsteady gaze was pulled away from his blood stained claws. "Ah, yeah." He didn't look so sure of himself, the fact that he'd just ended a human life (even in his own defense) had rattled him more than anything. His pupils were still blown wide on adrenaline- ever familiar feline slits, now round and big enough to only leave a small ring of red around them- and Sasuke knew that it would be a while before either of them fully took stock of what just happened.</p>
<p>That didn't matter though, because Naruto had saved him. <em>Again</em>. The tally counts just kept climbing and Sasuke couldn't seem to stop putting Naruto's life in danger. When they were young it made sense, Naruto knew what he was doing, but this was Sasuke's world, <em>Sasuke's </em>fight. Why the hell had-</p>
<p>"Why did you do that?" Sasuke's throat was too tight, it hurt to even speak. He blinked his eyes when Naruto's face began to blur and he willed his emotions to stay in check. Even with relief flooding his system at the knowledge of Naruto's superior healing, he willed to blond to see that that blade had been meant for <em>Sasuke</em>. Naruto had no right-</p>
<p>Naruto gave Sasuke a funny look, his eyebrows scrunching and his cheeks shifting under Sasuke's pale hands. "Because I love you." He said it as if it were the simplest thing, the most obvious answer to give and Sasuke's stomach rolled as his chest flooded with warmth at the words.</p>
<p><em>Love.</em> Yes, that was it. That had been the feeling growing in Sasuke for <em>years</em>. He knew that of course, <em>had </em>to have known, because he'd been willing-planning- on giving up on everything he'd known for this man he'd always called 'friend'. And now Naruto- Naruto loved him too. An overwhelming feeling surged up inside Sasuke- happiness, hope, excitement, <em>love</em>- and again he moved forward before he could really think.</p>
<p>His lips caught Naruto's in an instant and his dark eyes closed at the sensation shooting sparks through his body. Giddiness flooded his system and the warmth within him <em>bloomed </em>until it felt like it would burst out of his chest. Even with the grunt of surprise from the other man, Sasuke's right hand moved to the back of Naruto's neck to tangle in shoulder-length hair, while his other hand dropped to Naruto's shoulder to pull him closer.</p>
<p>It was at that moment when Sasuke noticed Naruto's lack of involvement in their earth shattering, clouds and bubbles all around, room spinning as the whole world disappeared, kiss and a part of the Uchiha prince wondered if he had made a mistake. There may have been a chance that his lifelong friend had been talking about <em>platonic </em>love… which… would make this whole situation Sasuke put them in a bit awkward… However, that thought quickly flew from his mind when the screaming started.</p>
<p>Naruto ripped himself away as his mouth opened in a soul eating shriek that thundered around the large hall. Sasuke could only watch in horror as the blond fell to his knees, wrapping his arms around himself tightly until his sharp claws drew pinpricks of blood on each shoulder blade. It took a moment for Sasuke to realize that the blood running down Naruto's once clean hand wasn't from his shoulders, but from his fingers as each claw peeled away to leave bloody stumps. Naruto's tails whipped wildly behind him before they froze and began to disintegrate into black ash that dissolved into nothingness before it even hit the ground. Naruto shook violently, creeping in on himself tighter as his screams continued, until they suddenly stopped and Sasuke could only stare in shock as he crumpled to the ground unconscious.</p>
<p>And then there was a flash of white and red, and the hermit who'd been talking to Sasuke's father earlier was blocking Naruto from view with his larger form. "Your majesty," he called to Itachi as he scooped the blond up into his arms and moved away, "we need to talk."</p>
<p>Itachi nodded and quickly followed the man out of the room. Sasuke made to follow when suddenly a pair of soldiers yelped and positioned themselves in front of the door the trio had exited, their faces stunned and confused. A hand fell on Sasuke's shoulder, and he turned to see his father with a perturbed frown creasing his features. "Let Jiraiya handle it," was all he said with a shake of his head.</p>
<p>Sasuke began to protest, but a glance at his mother made him pause. He didn't know who this 'Jiraiya' was, but maybe he could help Naruto. His heart was still thundering in his chest when he allowed his dark gaze to move back to where Naruto had disappeared to. A trail of blood lead from where the blond had collapsed and vanished around the doorway the soldiers were still guarding. Another spike of fear shot through Sasuke at the sight. Why wasn't Naruto healing?</p>
<p>Sasuke was tired. Not the tired that came from no sleep (though there was that too) but the tired that came from the draining of the soul. The tired that came from losing the one thing that made him happy without any explanation as to <em>why.</em></p>
<hr/>
<p>It had been two months and Sasuke was tired.</p>
<p>He sighed- not for the first time- as his eyes roved lazily over the men and women gathered around him- their excitement palpable through the way they chatted and figited around like little birds hunting for worms, and all Sasuke could feel was nothing as the deep bags under his eyes ached to draw them closed once more.</p>
<p>He allowed himself a moment of peace, his eyes shutting out what his ears could not, and he took a deep breath to steady himself.</p>
<p>"Did you see him?"</p>
<p>The hushed whisper came from his left and Sasuke's eyes opened just a sliver, his dark orbs sliding to a pair of women not too far away. It was usual that women would whisper and giggle around him, his Uchiha bloodline blessing Sasuke with both good looks and royal blood, but Sasuke found that the women hadn't even glanced his way in their discussion.</p>
<p>That's right. It was now October and he and his family had traveled to the Wind Kingdom to witness the crowning of the new king. Apparently the man had been absent for a number of years and he had just returned a few months ago. No one outside of the castle had seen him since and now that he had officially come of age, he was taking his rightful place in front of Kabuto, who was still only twelve. It was all very confusing, or so Sasuke had been told (though he really couldn't give a damn, a king is a king).</p>
<p>He, himself, hadn't had a chance to greet the new ruler. There were just too many people vying for the man's attention, and Sasuke would much rather lean against the far wall than deal with that crowd.</p>
<p>"Mmm, I'd take a piece of that action."</p>
<p>This time it was a man. Sasuke's cool gaze settled on the gangly looking brunet as he leaned into his female companion to converse none too quietly.</p>
<p>The woman's laughter fluttered to Sasuke's ears, sounding both cruel and pleased. Her hand landed on the man's arm in her attempts to control her glee.</p>
<p>"I'm serious," the man continued, "with the amount of oil under these damned dunes, this kingdom is worth a fortune. I'd marry him, even if he wasn't gorgeous."</p>
<p>"Oh, you're bad," the woman teased, her smile matching the man's.</p>
<p>The man shrugged, "What? I'm sure if you paid that wizard enough then he'd make anything possible, producing heirs wouldn't be an issue with magic."</p>
<p>'<em>Wizard,' </em>Sasuke thought, and his stomach turned as he was filled with bitterness. He knew exactly who they were talking about.</p>
<p>"<em>I </em>heard," it was a different woman this time- who had apparently also been eavesdropping, but unlike Sasuke decided to join in on the gossip- as she all but shouldered her way between the man and woman. "I heard that he's been turning away all suitors, no matter how well off they are. <em>I </em>think that he already has his sights set on someone."</p>
<p>Their conversation evolved into a torrent of further gossip that Sasuke drowned out. '<em>Keh, vultures.' </em>It was disgusting. All these people wanted was either entertainment or more wealth, and when the well dried up they moved on. The fiasco with Naruto had only kept them entertained for so long, a few weeks at best. Everyone had been too stunned at the turn of events. They had all seen it; not only had the foreign dignitary drawn his weapon within the great hall, he'd also not hesitated when their prince had stood in his way. Not only that, but the prince had deliberately tried to take the blow, he'd been willing to sacrifice himself for the creature and in the end the tailed man had done the same for him. It had been all the gossip for a while, the attack, the <em>kiss, </em>the sudden appearance of <em>the wizard</em> after Naruto had… And although images of the blond man had never left the mind of the young Uchiha prince, it seemed these nobles had already found something new to gawk at.</p>
<p>Sasuke's eyebrows furrowed at that thought and he pinched his eyes closed at the oncoming rush of the last time he saw so many people <em>gawking, </em>the elation he felt, before the pain he's suffered since not knowing what's become of his best friend. They'd kept him away. <em>He'd </em>kept Sasuke away, and who was Sasuke to stand up against a wizard?</p>
<p>A gentle hand on his arm brought a gasp from his lips and Sasuke's eyes met with those of his mother's, deep chocolate brown and kind. Small wrinkles formed around her eyes as she gave her son's bicep a gentle squeeze, a comforting smile coming to her lips as she took in his barely hidden distress.</p>
<p>"Come," she said with a gentle tilt of her head, "It's our turn. Your father is waiting."</p>
<p>Sasuke nodded silently, swallowing a heavy lump in his throat at being caught in such a vulnerable state, and pushed off the white sandstone wall. He knew his mother was worried about him- had been worried about him for some time- but he couldn't bring himself to care. She knew what was wrong, even after all this time, and yet she did nothing. He took his mother's arm and allowed her to lead him through the grand hall toward the back of the room where he knew the throne and the new king were waiting.</p>
<p>He allowed his mind and gaze to drift once more, trusting his mother to lead him along the red stone floor without any difficulty. Silver caught his attention, not the silver of a shining plate of armor, but silver hair- long and glistening under the many candle lit chandeliers flickering on the ceiling. The hair belonged to a young boy, in his early teens perhaps, his gangly limbs speaking of early pubescence as he stood almost awkwardly with other boys his same age. He was dressed in fine clothes, silks of red and gold that contrasted against the silver frames of his glasses, fitted perfectly as if someone had taken great care to dress him for this day. Sasuke watched the way the boy laughed with his friends, free and open- as if he hadn't a care in the world- and for a moment Sasuke envied him.</p>
<p>It was only a moment before the boy with the silver hair was gone from sight and Sasuke continued onward. A trio of men caught his attention next, all dressed in simple clothes of red, green, and blue. The trio weren't anything special, except that all of them were crying. Sasuke watched as the man in red hugged the man in blue as he sobbed into his shoulder. "I'm just so proud!" The man wailed, causing people near to them to move away as the man in green stood by and just nodded happily as tears streamed down his face.</p>
<p>It was harder than Sasuke would have thought to pull his gaze from the awkward scene the grown men were making. '<em>What the hell?'</em></p>
<p>"My Lordship the High King Kurama," the Master of Ceremonies' voice was strong, but the absolute <em>warmth </em>in it was hard to miss, as Sasuke and his mother took up their positions behind his father, all giving a shallow bow befitting fellow royals. "May I present the Uchiha household of the Land of Fire," the MC continued not a moment later.</p>
<p>Sasuke started tracing patterns in the tiled floor when he heard his father begin to explain Itachi's absence. Sasuke's niece had been born only a few weeks ago and the new king couldn't bring himself to leave his daughter and wife for an extended period of time. He frowned when his father made an amused comment about 'young love and all that'.</p>
<p>Sasuke grunted when he was none to gently elbowed in the side and brought his eyes from the tiled floor to shoot a glare at the person responsible. To his surprise, his mother's steady gaze met his, a challenging eyebrow raising to meet his quickly fading glare. His sudden confusion was only met with a subtle head jerk from the now smiling woman, and Sasuke couldn't help but follow her lead and look up.</p>
<p>It wasn't the throne that took Sasuke's breath away in a nearly silent gasp, though it was a sight to behold. The rosewood was clearly freshly lacquered, gleaming with perfection, to show off feet and armrests that had been carved into clawed paws. The velvet that made up the cushioned seat and backrest were a deep emerald, rich like the deepest forest, before the wood overtook the back again to break into a series of whipping branches that tapered off to points.</p>
<p>It wasn't the clothes that caused Sasuke's eyes to widen and for him to almost lose his footing, though the silks and cashmere were surely finer than anything he had seen before. The soft golden pants that billowed out before clenching tight at the ankle above matching slipper shoes. The form fitting tunic, stitched together in diagonal strips of delicate ivory and white, tucked into the pants and fastened at the waist with a thick sky blue strip of fabric. A full length overcoat lay on top of it all- the likes of which Sasuke had never seen before- ivory as well and lined with golden embroidery, loose and falling in craftily cut layers along the sleeves.</p>
<p>It was the face of the man sitting on the throne- King Kurama- that stopped the young prince's heart for a moment. Golden hair, much brighter than any clothing, and trimmed short enough to curl around his ears instead of his neck. Scars marring sun kissed cheeks, looking like whiskers and someone's cruel joke, but still fitting somehow. Clear blue waters, warmed from the summer's sun reflection and deep as the fathomless seas, shone out of gleaming eyes that danced in delight as they focused intently on Sasuke.</p>
<p>There it was again, that feeling Sasuke had been longing for that left him lightheaded and giddy at the same time. The feeling he'd known all along, and yet had only had a moment to experience before it was ripped cruelly away from him. A familiar face, and yet not, but no less breathtaking. Sasuke took a deep breath and straightened, a smile coming to his lips in what felt like months. "You've gotten taller."</p>
<p>And Naruto smiled.</p>
<hr/>
<p><strong>A.N.- </strong>I drew a picture for this chapter too! I drew it before I even wrote the fic lol. Check it out if you want to see some kissing! https://www.deviantart.com/lobstirrchwan/art/Because-I-Love-You-560437758</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>A.N.- "And true love conquers all 3" Thank you so much for reading! I hoped everyone liked it :) Hopefully everything made sense in the end... I wanted to show that Naruto had a scar across his chest, but I thought it would be weird for him to show it off at his coronation so I left it out. Also, when I originally went into writing this fic (years ago) I was determined to end it with a lemon, but as it went on and especially as it neared the end I realized that I couldn't. It's just been too sweet and sex would just soil it.</p>
<p>Ones again, special thanks to all of those who took the time to comment on this, I really means a lot to me!</p>
        </blockquote><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>AN- Prince Consort is given to the title of the person who marries the Queen Regent. The Queen is still the rightful roller and the Prince is lower than her in the hierarchy and not given the title of King. Her children, however, can become King...</p>
<p>Yes, it is a bit dark, but fairytales should be! The next chapters are happier though! Thanks for reading!</p></blockquote></div></div>
</body>
</html>